Forest of Mystery
by Star Polaris
Summary: An accident on the Hogwarts Express forces the fifth year Gryffindors to run for their lives to a strange forest where their lives will be in even more danger.
1. Changes

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
A/N: Ok, since Dangers in the Past is nearly finished and I don't think I'll write a sequel to it, I decided to start on a new story. I hope you like it.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
When Harry arrived at platform 9 ¾ he immediately noticed things had changed from last year. It wasn't because of the building or because of the train, the change was mainly caused by the two dozen aurors patrolling around the platform. They were not only making sure nothing bad happened, they also were getting the children in the train as soon as they arrived. With a small sigh, Harry approached the train and went to one of the aurors holding up a long list of people. Before he could reach the man, a voice sounded next to him. Turning around sharply, he came face to face with Mad- eye Moody.  
  
"Good Morning Mr. Potter."  
  
Harry looked at him nervously, not knowing quite sure how to address the man. Finally he just settled for a "good morning, sir." If the ex-auror noticed his uneasiness he didn't give it away.  
  
Motioning to Harry's trunk, the man stated, "You'll have to shrink your things, Mr. Potter, we are expecting lots of new students and I'm afraid the train will not be up to it."  
  
Harry rose and eyebrow. "New students? Why? I mean, why so many?"  
  
The ex-auror looked at him sadly. "The Dark Lord attacked some schools over the summer. Luckily there were very little people there, I think the point was to get everyone gathered somewhere and since You-Know-Who is not yet strong enough to get to Hogwarts, he started with the others. Dumbledore has agreed to let the students of those schools attend Hogwarts. That's also one of the reasons so many aurors are around here, Voldemort would just love to have this opportunity to kill all these children."  
  
Harry clenched his fists but only nodded, he wished someone had bothered to tell him about what had been going on but it seemed people thought it was safer that way. Without another word, Harry did what the auror had said and shrunk his trunk, and Hedwig's cage after telling the owl to go ahead to Hogwarts, he was sure the owl wouldn't enjoy being shrunk and stuffed into his pocked. The two arrived in front of the auror holding the list and Mad- eye told him in hushed tones that he would be escorting Harry to his compartment himself. The man just nodded and turned to tend to a girl which Harry recognised to being a Ravenclaw sixth year.  
  
Following Moody through the train, Harry was very surprised at how silent it was. The usual chatter and the people walking around looking for a place weren't present. The only thing that you could see were closed doors and so now and then a few students sitting quietly behind those doors. Moody stopped in front of a door, nearly in the middle of the train and turned once again to face the boy. "This is the fifth year Gryffindor's compartment, your classmates will be brought in here as soon as they arrive."  
  
Harry nodded and waited patiently as the man opened the door for him. Quietly he entered and heard the door close after him. Looking around, he saw he was not the first one to arrive. Sitting in a corner, curled up with a book in his hands, sat Neville Longbottom. The boy looked up at him anxiously but relaxed slightly when Harry smiled.  
  
Sitting down in front of the other boy, Harry started a conversation. "Hello, Neville, how was your summer?"  
  
The other boy shrugged. "It was fine, I spent most of it walking through the forest near my home and collecting plants, they are really fascinating." Harry smiled amusedly at the other boy, it was very well known that Herbology was one of Neville's only gifts. "How about you, Harry?"  
  
Harry grinned slightly. "Oh, it went better than expected. Although I suspect that's mostly because I got a summer work and got to get out of my relatives house for most of the time." The Harry frowned. "You better don't tell the teachers about that. I think the point of going to the Dursleys was staying in the house, not spending all day away."  
  
Neville looked anxious. "But, Harry, that could have been dangerous! What if Death Eaters had attacked you?"  
  
Harry looked at him steadily. "You are talking as if I had a choice in the matter, Neville. The Dursleys insisted and I wouldn't have had to worry about Death Eaters if I had refused. My, oh so loving, relatives would have hurt me nearly as much as the Death Eaters would have if I had gone against them."  
  
Neville bit his lips, as everyone in their room, he knew Harry's live in that house was anything but perfect, they had all seen the scars that showed on Harry's back more than once, a reminder of the beatings he had received as a child. "You could have written to Dumbledore."  
  
Harry shook his head. "He is busy enough as it is, Neville, no sense in worrying him even more."  
  
"Worrying who, anymore?"  
  
Both boys turned around startled, just in time to see a young auror close the door again. Harry smiled at the girl standing in front of the door, he stood up from his seat and went to hug her. Hermione smiled back, looking him anxiously over, making sure he was alright. "Harry, are you ok? I've missed you."  
  
"I missed you too, Hermione. And I'm fine. I'll tell you about it later, 'k?"  
  
The girl nodded and released him from her hug and turned to the other boy, who had been looking at them curiously. He usually wasn't around them when they first arrived on the train even if he tended to join them later, usually after lunch. "Hello Neville."  
  
"Hey, Hermione."  
  
The girl sat back down next to Harry and looked out of the window. "I wonder what will happen this year."  
  
Harry sighed but didn't say anything, he knew that if something happened he would be in the middle of it, no matter what everyone did to prevent it. He always seemed to be in the middle of things. His musings were interrupted when the door opened. Once again and a girl and a boy came in. Harry, Neville and Hermione greeted Lavender and Seamus as they sat down next to Neville. Harry noticed the conversation was a bit forced, even if all of them got along pretty well, and could even be called good friends, they would never have spent the train ride together. To keep things light and trying to get rid of the tension, they began to talk about their summers, welcoming Dean and Parvati when they entered a few minutes later. Five minutes before eleven, Ron entered the compartment and immediately went to sit between Harry and Hermione hugging them both in turn. For a few moments, there was another uncomfortable silence, Ron, Harry and Hermione wanted to talk to each other, but they didn't want to exclude the others. The same seemed to be happening with Dean and Seamus and Parvati and Lavender. Finally Hermione just picked up a book and Ron proposed to play a game of exploding Snap all the while telling some of the pranks his twin brothers had come up during the summer.  
  
To be continued... 


	2. Attack

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
Harry had been dozing off after having had lunch when the train suddenly stopped. He was immediately wide awake, all his senses alert. He could not hear anything coming from the front of the train, but he had the suspicion that the compartments had a silencing charm on them. Quickly, he made his way to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. Sighing he wondered if he should use his wand to unlock it but he doubted the aurors would have put on a charm a fifteen year old could break. Sighing he turned around and saw Seamus looking through the window that was also charmed so they couldn't open it, they were effectively trapped inside the compartment. Harry sighed. "What should we do?"  
  
Hermione looked at him sternly. "We should stay in here, the aurors will take care of..."  
  
She never had the chance to finish. With a piercing scream, Lavender backed back into Seamus and pointed to the door. Harry whirled around and came face to face with a masked man. This time he was very glad for the solid door standing between them and the death eater, it would hold the man out of the compartment while they thought about what to do. He heard Hermione behind him shout out a severing charm that should have broken the window. Sadly the aurors had thought about that and protected the window. Harry looked anxiously at the death eater, who had begun to throw curses at the door. He Behind him the others were frantically discussing a way to break the window. Harry, still eyeing the man, saw that the door was about to give and desperately he casted some protecting charms he had learned over the summer. Finally he heard the loud sound of something breaking and saw that Ron, Dean and Seamus had broken the window, ramming into it in full force. Hermione quickly sprung into action. Taking Neville's arm she dragged him to the window and both sprung out of it, followed closely by the other teens. The last one to jump out was Harry, just at the same time the death eater finally brought down the door. Without looking back, Harry sent out a stunning curse. He assumed the curse had hit the mark, because there was no retaliation from the train.  
  
The eight teenagers ran as fast as they could, quickly entering the forest that they had been passing. Harry was bringing up the rear, but he could not hear anyone following them, risking a peck behind him, he nearly fell over in shock and screamed for the others to stop. Heavily panting, the gryffindors did as he had said and looked at him nervously. Seeing no Death Eater, they relaxed slightly and looked around. Slowly realisation began to fill them. They were looking to where they had come from but they couldn't see the train. They had barely been in the forest for a few minutes, but it seemed they were deep inside the woods. I couldn't be right, it didn't make sense. Ron shivered. "What the hell is going on? We shouldn't be that deep into the forest, it looks like we were running for hours."  
  
Harry nodded. "Yes, it's strange. I have a bad feeling about this."  
  
"As you should have."  
  
The teenagers all turned to Hermione who was looking around with big, scared eyes. Her face was incredible pale and Harry saw she was trembling slightly. Dean looked at her nervously. "What is it, Hermione? What's so wrong with this forest?"  
  
The girl gulped and sank down onto the ground. "The Hogwarts Express only crosses one forest on it's way to the school. The Forest of Mystery."  
  
Ron, Parvati, Seamus and Neville paled at once, they seemed to know about this. On the other hand, Harry, Dean and Lavender were clueless about it. Harry kneeled next to his friend and looked her over carefully. "What's so wrong about this forest?"  
  
Hermione shuddered. "No one knows all of it for sure. The forest is in a way alive, it's like a maze, but it moves every so often. No one has ever come out of it alive. We are doomed."  
  
Harry narrowed his eyes, a strong determination flaring inside him. "Tell me all you know about this forest, Hermione."  
  
The girl looked up sharply. "Why? Didn't you hear what I just said? No one has..."  
  
"I don't care!" Harry stood up and began to pace. "I can't believe you're giving up just like that! That no one else has come out of this forest alive doesn't mean we will not be able to."  
  
Ron looked at him sharply. "Oh, of course, we have the great Boy-Who-Lived with us. Stop it, Harry! Face it! Not even you will be able to get us out of this one."  
  
Harry looked at his best friend coldly. "I'm not planning on it, Ron." Looking around he pinned all of his friends down. "Listen to me. I don't think we'll be able to get out of here because I am the Boy Who Lived. I think we can get out of here because Hermione is one of the smartest witches at school, because Neville is our own resident plant's genius, because Ron is a great strategist, because Parvati has a gift for healing,... I know we will be able to get out of here because every one of us has an unic gift and if we work together, there's no doubt in my mind that we can do everything." He turned to Ron. "Have you already forgotten how we got past all the difficulties and reached the Philosopher's stone? Sure I was the one who faced Voldemort, and that is because I am the Boy Who Lived. But I wouldn't have got there if it hadn't been for you and for Hermione. Come on guys, what do we have to lose? If we are going to die, I prefer to do it trying to find a way out of here, not moaning and complaining that it's impossible to do so."  
  
Hermione looked down, and in a soft voice she stated. "You're right, Harry, but I have no idea how we can get out of here, they say that everyone that has been wandering through the forest, trying to get out, has died within a few hours."  
  
Harry nodded in understanding. "Well, then we wont focus on getting out for now, we need to be alive to get out and that's what I think we should do first. Hermione is right, walking around trying to look for a way out without first knowing how this place works won't help us. I think the best thing we can do is look for a place to sleep. If there's one thing I know about forests is that animals live in it and I don't care to be out here for the night."  
  
Everyone nodded and the teens stood up, ready to follow Harry to wherever he would lead them. Harry on the other hand, felt a bit scared at the way the others were following his lead but pushed it aside, someone had to led them for now or they would add to the list of people who had been killed in the forest. Taking Lavender's hand he motioned for the others to take each other's hands. "It's very important that we don't get separated, we have to stay together. If you notice someone is missing call out immediately and if someone gets separated from the main group stay where you are. If it's dark climb up a tree and put a mark on the ground so we know you're close."  
  
Lavender looked up at him. "What mark, Harry?"  
  
The boy thought about it for a while and finally picked up a rock and took his wand, ready to brand a mark on it. Hermione's cry made him stop.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"You can't use magic!"  
  
The other teens looked at her confused. "Why not?"  
  
Hermione sighed and leaned against one of the trees. "That's one of the major problems in this forest. It drains your magical energy and without it we might die. In fact that's one of the principal reasons people die so quickly."  
  
Seamus looked at her with incredulity. "You mean we won't be able to use magic at all?"  
  
Hermione shook her head. "We can use magic, but just simple spells that don't take much energy. It also depends on how much magical energy you have. Outside the forest, the magical energy is replenished at once, we barely feel the loose. Here it goes slower, casting spells is more difficult and it takes more time to get it back. What I would say is that we only use the magic we need, we will have to get our trunks back to their proper size but other than that it would be better if we didn't use more of it if it's not strictly necessary."  
  
Harry nodded resignedly and dropped the rock, looking back at his friends, he smiled a little and said. "Well, just don't get lost and we'll be fine."  
  
The others didn't seem to appreciate his humour but nodded and took each other's hands. After making sure everyone was safely together, Harry started to walk through the woods.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. 


	3. Weird happenings

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
The Gryffindors walked for nearly two hours, Harry was getting anxious, he needed to find some place where his friends and him could spent the night safely but till then there had been no luck. He was starting to think they would have to sleep in one of the trees when Neville stumbled over a few bushes. Harry turned sharply around, never letting go of Lavender's hand and saw a very curious sight. Dean and Seamus were kneeling in front of a bush, at either side they were grasping at Parvati and Ron while on the other they were gripping at something that seemed to have sunk into the bushes. Harry frowned, it was impossible that Neville had gone so far into the plants that they would not see him from where he was standing. The bush was not that big. Slowly, Harry approached the place, making Lavender walk with him and bend over the place where Neville had disappeared. The only thing he could see where the other boy's hands and bushes. "Neville?"  
  
"Harry!"  
  
Everyone sighed in relieve at hearing the boy's voice. Harry came a bit closer but he still didn't see more than the hands. "Neville, are you alright?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine, my arms are beginning to hurt a bit, but it's ok." The boy paused for a moment. "Harry, there's a tunnel here, I'm nearly touching the ground and there's an odd blue light coming from the walls. Do you think we could stay here for the night?"  
  
Harry bit his lip, would it be safe? He looked at the others. "What do you think?"  
  
Lavender came somewhat closer to him, gripping his hand tighter. "I think we should go, Harry. I don't want to spent the night out here."  
  
The others nodded, some more unsure than others. Hermione nodded too but she added, "We should make sure we will be able to get back up, as safe as a cave might be, it will not do us any good we get trapped inside."  
  
Harry nodded and looked around, there had to be something they could use to get back up if needed. Hermione, who had also been looking, pointed with her free hand towards a liana that hung on a nearby tree. "That will be enough, I think."  
  
Harry nodded and approached the plant. Tugging hard at it with his free hand, he made the liana drop and dragged it back to the hole. "Neville, I'm going to drop a liana, look if it reaches the ground, please."  
  
"Ok, go ahead."  
  
Harry flung the plant over the bushes, holding one of the ends, and saw how it sank and disappeared. Shortly after they heard Neville's voice again. "It's long enough, Harry, you can even pull it up a bit if you want."  
  
Harry didn't answer him, instead he walked to a close tree and finally was forced to let go of Lavender's hand to tie the plant firmly along the base of the tree. Once that was done, he began to direct the others on their way down. "Ok, here's what we are going to do. Dean, you will let go off Neville's hand and grip Seamus's shirt. Neville, as soon as Dean has let your hand go, grip the liana, then let go of Seamus's hand and go down, ok?"  
  
"Understood!"  
  
"After that get a bit out of the way, we are going all down, just don't let go of the plant, I don't want to lose anyone in that cave."  
  
Everyone did as Harry had said. In turns everyone got down every time confirming they were still there. Harry was the last one to go down. When he arrived he saw the others huddled together starring at him. Harry grinned to them, but then he began to frown, noticing their frightened looks. Before he had the chance to ask what was wrong, he heard it. Behind him somewhat was growling. By the sound of it, Harry could tell it was not friendly. In a calm voice, he looked at Parvati. "Parvati, do you have a mirror in one of your pockets?"  
  
He knew it was a stupid question, and he wondered if the girl thought the same. Parvati always seemed to have mirrors around her. She nodded slightly, her eyes never straying from whatever was at his back. "Good, could you slowly get it out and make it so that whatever is behind me reflects on it, I want to see it."  
  
The girl didn't even nod. Slowly, she moved her hand to her pocket, the movements concealed by Seamus's robes. Finally, the small mirror appeared in her hand and she started to position it as he had asked. Harry narrowed his eyes. "A bit higher, Parvati, please."  
  
She did so at once and he finally got a good look at the beast standing behind him. It was not as big as he had thought it would be. The form of the animal was catlike and he was crouching, seemingly ready to attack at a moments notice. Making a quick decision, he decided to set up things so they would befit them more. "Listen to me. That big kitty seems ready to pounce on us, so we will have to do something a bit rash. When I say go, you will begin to run through that tunel over there." Harry motioned to his right. "Don't go to far and please, stay together."  
  
Ron was frowning. "Harry, if we move that thing will attack us. And what will you do?"  
  
Harry looked at him steadily. "That's the idea, Ron, I want it to jump. And don't worry about me. If what I try to do doesn't go as planned please keep running."  
  
Hermione starred anxiously at him. "Harry…"  
  
He looked at her steadily, but didn't let her finish. "Ready?" Without waiting for an answer he shouted. "GO!"  
  
Everything happened at once. The seven teens bolted down the corridor, neither wanting to look behind them, fearing what they would see. Hermione didn't let them run for long, they couldn't leave Harry far behind, and besides they were getting away from the entrance to the caves. They had arrived at a big, circular room and Hermione decided it would be best to stop there, they would have plenty of space to use magic in there if things turned out for the worst.  
  
At the moment he had shouted, Harry heard something move behind him. Not paying attention to the others, he whirled around and with a lightning fast movement he drew out the knife he had been keeping in his sleeve. All the practising he had done this summer helped as the knife bore deeply into the beast's chest. The panther like creature fell down and stayed on the ground, a pool of blood already forming around his fur. Harry watched the animal for a moment, making sure he had killed it, and then approached it.  
  
From up close, he could see that the fur of the animal was brown, with some grey lines along his back. He remembered having seen a picture of this animal in one of the books Hermione had been reading in their third year, when she had tried to save Buckbeack. Shaking his head, Harry gripped the knife and pulled it out, whipping it clean against the soft fur of the creature. With a last look at the beast, he turned around and followed the passage, hopping his friends had not gone too far into the tunnel. To his relieve, he found them in a large cave, a few minutes away from where he had killed the creature. All of them sighed in relieve when they saw them come in, obviously not injured. Hermione and Ron embraced him tightly, letting him know how stupid they thought he was. After a few moments of reassuring his friends, Harry broke apart and looked around the cave. Shrugging to his friends he said, "I guess we'll be staying here for the night." He turned to Hermione. "We need to know all you know about this place, Hermi."  
  
To be continued… 


	4. Theory about the forest

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
Hermione nodded and sat down, the others came to sit with her, forming a circle. "I don't know much about it. All I've read are theories, most people are not even sure themselves how this place works since no one risks coming directly inside. Also I've noticed several things and I've made my own theory. Which one do you want to hear?"  
  
Seamus was the quickest to answer. "Yours. I don't know about the others, but I trust your judgement about this matter and you're actually in the forest, so you will probably know more about it than anyone else."  
  
Everyone else nodded and Hermione smiled a bit "Ok, but keep in mind they are just theories." After everyone had nodded once again, she started. "What I have read says that this forest is divided in several parts, that are somehow joined together in a illogical order. Meaning that in a few steps we can find ourselves in the middle of a river or, in this case, in a cave, where there shouldn't have been one. What I've figured out so far is that these parts are joined together by magical portals that allow you to walk from a space to another. If Neville hadn't fallen in that particular bush, we would not have been in this cave, we would have remained in that part of the forest or ended in some other place. That's also what happened when we came in the forest. We probably came through a portal and ended up deep into the forest."  
  
Lavender interrupted her. "But doesn't that mean we could just look for the portal and go back out?" Hermione shook her head sadly. "We could try, but how many portals did we go through? Any idea? And if so, where exactly are they located? Imagine there were two portals a few inches apart, we could go through the wrong portal and end up who knows where." Hermione rubbed her temples. "The main problem is that I have not thought of a way to see portals yet, and there may not be one. We will have to find a way to walk around safely, we can not stay copped in this cave forever."  
  
Harry sighed. "Anything else on the practical side of this place?"  
  
Hermione shrugged. "I already told you about the magic, although we should test it a bit since we are probably going to be staying around for a while. Other than that, the normal things you can find in a forest, I guess. You know, animals, plants, Hagrid's kind of pets..."  
  
Everyone nodded, some of them shifting nervously at the last mention. Neville's trembling voice rang through the cave. "Harry, what did you do to that beast? Did you use magic?"  
  
Harry sighed and leaned back against the wall of the cave. "No, Neville, I didn't use magic. And I had to kill it, it's still lying at the entrance."  
  
"Then, what did you do, Harry?"  
  
Harry looked at Lavender and he pulled out his knife from his sleeve. Most of the teenagers gasped, but Ron and Hermione looked closer. Ron rose an eyebrow. "That's one of the knifes Charlie sent you for your birthday."  
  
Harry nodded. "I learned how to use it during the summer. Just in case..."  
  
Ron and Hermione nodded in understanding and Harry turned to the others and shrugged a bit at their apprehensive expressions.  
  
"Being the Boy Who Lived has it's downsides. One of them is that I have a whole group of insane wizards after my blood." Harry fingered the knife and the re-sheeted it. "Sometimes it's better not to rely too much in magic, a good knife can save your life at any moment, if you know how to use it, of course." Harry smirked then. "I happen to have more weapons than I thought possible, I barely got anything else for my birthday, some people are so over-protective."  
  
Ron slapped his head in mock-annoyance. "You mean you don't like that nice sword I got you? I'm so hurt!"  
  
Harry laughed. "Oh, I liked the sword, but I began to feel a little freaked out when Charlie gave me the knifes, Hagrid a crossbow and Snuffles some more knifes. Honestly, there's only so much I can carry around. But then again, this will be rather useful if we can not use magic."  
  
A bit more relaxed, the Gryffindors laughed. Sighing, Hermione turned the conversation towards their situation. "What now? What do we do?"  
  
Harry waited for someone to talk, he had been feeling rather uneasy making all the decisions so far. Unfortunately for him, the other seven teenagers were looking at him expectantly. "Why are you looking at me like this? Some of you could say what we have to do next."  
  
The teens looked at each other and Seamus was the first to reply. "No, Harry. Listen, if we have to get out of this we need someone to lead us, someone to make the decisions. Else we will be arguing over every single matter for hours and not come to a decision. We are all different, we think different and we do things a different way. We need someone to have the final word. And I don't know about the others, but I think I want you to do that. So far you've managed to keep us together, unhurt and as safe and comfortable as you can. I trust you to continue doing so. If you want of course."  
  
Ron leaned back, a small smile on his lips. For once the jealousy that had been lying in his mind for a few years now didn't come up, the situation was to important, and if there was one person the red-headed boy trusted, that was Harry. Jokingly he expressed what the others were thinking. "What he said. Come on, mate, you have done a smashing job so far, I'm sure you can keep doing it, else we'll have to knock some sense into you, now we wouldn't want that, would we?"  
  
Harry laughed a little, still studying the expressions on the other teens carefully. Finally convinced that that might be for the best, he nodded. "Ok, but you'll all have to help me."  
  
Neville smiled a little nervously. "Of course, Harry."  
  
The black-haired boy sighed. "Ok, first things first. We need to decide on what to do. We can walk around the forest, trying to find a way to get back and trying to find places where the portals are. The advantage of that is that we might stumble back to the exit of the forest, but as Hermione said, that's not very likely to happen. And there are a lot of problems about that idea. First we would be vulnerable to anything that roams the forest and without the use of magic, things could get nasty. Second, we might not be able to find a place to rest every night, that would mean staying out in the woods and, if the weather in here is the same as the weather outside, then that would not be very enjoyable. Not to mention it's already September, winter is approaching and we have no idea if we would still be in here." He paused for a while, letting his reasoning sink in and then continued. "On the other hand, we could stay here. We are in a cave that seems to be pretty comfortable, I don't know what those rocks are but it seems they give off some warmth. I am nearly sure there are other caves leading away from here and we will be able to settle into them as soon as we have made sure there are not portals in them. From here we have direct access to the forest so we will not be locked up in here if we want to leave." The others were nodding, but Harry added the only disadvantage to staying there. "If we decide to stay, we will know for sure we will be spending a lot of time in the forest, because once the winter has begun it wont be safe to move until spring has come, that would mean we will be staying here for at least six months."  
  
Dean broke the silence. "What about food?"  
  
Harry looked at him pensively. "What do you have with you?"  
  
Mostly they had sweets from the train, but it would barely last two days. Harry, on the other hand had a lot of food stored in his trunk, mostly tins of conserved food, he had bought them the day he went to Diagon Alley, preparing for the next summer at the Dursleys. Even so, he had only been counting on having to feed himself so it would at most last them two weeks. Finally he came to the only possible answer.  
  
"Well, I'm afraid we will have to hunt, no matter what we do. We have weapons enough and we will have about two weeks to practice our skills. We'll have to live on the animals we hunt, the fish we fish and the plants we find." Harry then groaned. "This is going to be so fun."  
  
Everyone stayed still. Harry looked around once again. "I suggest we go to sleep now, think about it, we should make the decision tomorrow and work from there."  
  
Harry looked as everyone laid down as comfortably as they could. On the other hand, he stayed sitting leaning against the wall and looking at his friends pensively. "Harry?"  
  
The boy looked in the direction the voice had come. "Yes, Neville?"  
  
"Why don't you go sleep?"  
  
"Someone has to make sure nothing attacks us."  
  
Harry heard some movement to his right and saw Dean looking intently at him. "You don't have to do it alone. Wake me up in a few hours and I'll take up the watch."  
  
Harry, seeing the determination shinning in the other boy's eyes just nodded in acceptance. Both teens laid back down and went to sleep.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Ok, I hope it's easier to read this way, I don't know why it was uploaded without spaces in between. Oh well, never mind. Thanks for all reviews. 


	5. Experimenting with magic

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
When Harry woke up, he saw Ron sitting near him, the knife he had been hiding in his sleeve was now in the red-head's hands. Ron looked up and smiled slightly.  
  
"Good morning. You know, if you have some idea about what we could eat it would be great, I'm famished."  
  
Harry smiled a bit. "Well, we could try that thing I killed yesterday, but before we can eat it, we'll have to do lots of things, so I suggest you eat some chocolate frogs or something like that." Stretching, he looked at his watch and was startled to see it was five o'clock. "Er., Ron, any idea if it's five in the morning or in the evening?"  
  
The other boy chuckled softly, noticing Parvati was also waking up he answered in a slightly louder voice. "In the morning, Harry. We went to sleep at around seven pm yesterday. No wonder we are up early."  
  
Harry smiled and stood up, looking around, he saw most of his friends were already giving sings of waking up. The only one still deep asleep was Seamus, but Harry suspected that was because he had kept guard after Dean.  
  
Going over to Hermione, who was rubbing her eyes tiredly, Harry knelt next to her. "Hermione."  
  
The girl smiled up at him. "Good morning, Harry."  
  
"Good morning. Listen, we will have to do those tests with magic now. No matter what we do next, we are starting to get hungry, and the small amount of sweets we still have out of our trunks wont be enough for all eight of us."  
  
Hermione nodded and stood up. "We have to return our trunks to their usual size, right? That's a fairly simple spell and doesn't use up much magic, so we should be more or less safe." She turned and looked around the room. "Parvati?"  
  
The girl looked up from where she was sitting, trying to get her hair back in proper place. "Yes, Hermione?"  
  
"Harry was telling me we need to un-shrink our trunks, do you mind going first?"  
  
The girl put her mirror in her pocked and looked at the pair questioningly, everyone else was listening intently to the conversation. "Why me first?"  
  
Hermione smiled at her. "Because you have a lot of magical power in you." At the girls disbelieving gaze she explained. "You don't have to think about your magical power as the ability to learn charms quicker or slower, but the power you put in them. I have often noticed in class that while you have some trouble in doing new things, your spells, once they are mastered, are some of the most powerful ones in our year."  
  
Parvati just nodded in acceptance and pulled out her trunk from her pocket. Placing it on the ground a little way away, she turned back to Hermione. "What do I have to do?"  
  
The other girl went to stand next to her, while the others went to the other side of the room. There was a moment of panic when half of Dean's body disappeared, luckily the boy had enough presence of mind to pull back before he had fully crossed the portal.  
  
Smiling shakily at his friends, the teen said, "Well, if we decide to stay here, I already found us a shower. This portal brings us to a river."  
  
Seamus immediately smacked his best friend on the head while Harry and Neville extended a robe in front of the portal so that if someone crossed the portal accidentally, they would be able to return. After everyone had somewhat calmed down, Hermione turned her attention back to Parvati.  
  
"Ok, you just have to do the spell as you usually would do, just try and keep track of how you feel during the spell and if you start to feel really tired, stop."  
  
Parvati nodded and with a deep sigh turned her attention back to the turn. Softly she muttered the counter charm and watched as the trunk turned to his normal form. Hermione looked at her questioningly. "Well?"  
  
Parvati frowned. "I feel pretty tired, much like I feel after a long lesson in charms, but other than that everything feels fine."  
  
Hermione looked pensively and nodded. "I see." She looked over at Lavender and motioned at to try. The girl simply nodded and did the same Parvati had done. After the trunk was once again in the normal size, Lavender was panting slightly. Hermione nodded again. "Just as I thought. Lavender has less magical energy than Parvati and therefor the charm left her more tired than her." Hermione turned to Neville. "Neville, I don't mean to sound mean, but I think it would be better if you didn't use magic."  
  
The boy looked torn between sadness and relieve, seeing this, Harry passed an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry Nev, you will be able to help us much more in plants, you're the best at them."  
  
The boy looked up, relieved, and smiled when the others nodded at him. Hermione smiled a bit and then turned to Harry. "Well, oh fearless leader, I think it's your turn, and while you're at it you can unshrink Neville's trunk too."  
  
Harry rose an eyebrow to her. "My, my, being the leader means I have double work?"  
  
Hermione smirked. "Why of course, it comes with the job description."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, but Neville looked anxious. "Won't it hurt him? He will be using more magical energy than Lavender and Parvati have."  
  
Hermione smiled kindly at him. "Don't worry, Neville. I have no doubt in my mind that the one among us with the most magical energy is Harry."  
  
The boy looked at her with raised eyebrows. "And how did you figure that out?"  
  
Hermione looked at him dryly. "I don't know, Harry. Maybe it's because of a certain Patronus you managed to conjure two years ago, when we are not supposed to do that till seventh year?"  
  
Harry looked at her with a small smile on his lips. "I guess that's a good point." He walked to put his trunk on the floor and motioned for Neville to do the same. After the two small trunks were ready, Harry muttered the charm and looked as the trunks resumed their usual shape. Hermione looked at him questioningly and Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I'm fine."  
  
After that, Ron, Dean, Seamus and finally Hermione did the same and managed to get their trunks unshrunk.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews.  
  
Ok, I have several announcements to make (namely two.) The first one is that I've started my own updating group, in a while I'll stop sending mails so anyone who's still interested in knowing when I update, please sign up in: groups.yahoo.com/group/polaris_45 That was done mainly because the emails I had were starting to fail, meaning many people who had asked me to receive the notice didn't get it.  
  
The second one is that for those who are interested you can now find Dangers in the Past translated to French. It is being done by Fany, the story is called: Dangers du Passé and you can find it at the following direction: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=891105 I hope those of you who prefer to read in French will be happy.  
  
Well, that's it, thanks for listening (reading) to my ramblings ^.^ I'll see you again in the next chapter. Polaris 


	6. The decision

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
After they had pulled all the trunks onto one side of the cave, Neville and Lavender began to make some sandwiches, using some of Harry's food. It took them a while due to the lack of some place to actually put the food. All the while, the others just walked all around the cave, making sure there wouldn't be more surprises. Ron found another portal when he struck a hand through the wall, looking in, he saw it was just another cave, although the stones in there were red, not blue. Marking the portal with his robe, he pulled his head back and walked to where the others were sitting.  
  
They ate in silence, each lost in thoughts. Halfway through, Harry looked up and sighed. "Well, what do you think we should do?"  
  
They stayed in silence for a while longer. Finally, it was Neville who spoke. "I think we should stay." When no one answered to this, he continued. "It's not that I don't want to go back, and maybe you'll think I'm a coward, but I think that just walking out there and try to find our way back is stupid. We have all seen how complicate these portals are. In this cave alone there are, at least, two that brings us to completely different places. It would be nearly impossible to find our way back."  
  
Seamus picked up the line of thought of his friend. "On the other hand, if we stay here, we don't necessarily need to wait for something to happen. If we are able to find a way to safely mark portals, we could explore the forest, try to make a map of it and use it to get back. All the while we would have this cave to return to, a safe place where we can spent the winter if it is too cold to be outside and a place where we will be safe."  
  
Hermione looked around. "I agree with you, but you have to realize that it might take us years to actually explore this whole forest."  
  
Lavender's soft voice rang through the cave. "I might want to return, but my first priority is staying alive, so I must agree. Besides, it will be easier if we settle down here. I don't know much about forests, but if we are going to stay a long while, we'll have to plan about food and plants and that kind of thing."  
  
Everyone nodded. Harry looked at the ones who hadn't said anything. "Ron? Dean? Parvati? What do you think?"  
  
The red-haired boy was the first to speak. "I agree with the others. But it will be hard and we'll have to be very careful." Then he grinned at his friend. "You might as well start putting out those weapons of yours, 'cause we'll have to use them."  
  
Dean smiled and nodded. "I'm in."  
  
Parvati looked pensively, playing with a lock of her hair. "Do you think my hair will suffer if I let it go unattended for so long? I don't know, maybe we should find our way back, it would be a real disgrace if my hair was ruined." At the others incredulous faces, she burst out laughing. "Oh, your faces! That was hilarious. But honestly guys, I agree too."  
  
The boys and Hermione shook their heads exasperated and Lavender giggled with her friend. Dean turned to Harry. "Well, Leader, you haven't told us your opinion yet."  
  
Harry looked at him annoyed. "Could you all please stop calling me 'Leader', it's starting to bug me. As for your question, yes, I think it's better if we stay here. It really didn't make much sense to get out of a safe place just to run around without a clue of what we are doing."  
  
Everyone stayed silent after that, not quite knowing what to say. The realization that they were about to spend several months, if not longer, in a creepy forest was slowly dawning upon them. With a sigh, Harry finished eating his sandwich and leaned against the wall of the cave, deep in thought. Half an hour later he looked up, only to see the others, looking at him expectantly. Shifting nervously under their gazes, the boy cleared his throat. "Ok. If we are going to stay here, we have to take care of a few basic needs." He first turned to Neville. "Neville, I don't know as much about plants as you do, but since we can't use magic, it would help us a lot to have the help of potions, specially healing potions. If you and Hermione could try to find the plants you'll need to make them, that would be very useful. Also, try to find some fruit and vegetables. I have no idea what you'll find out there, but the more things we get, the better. We don't know what we'll be able to find when the winter comes."  
  
The boy nodded and Harry turned to Hermione. "Also, if you find plants you don't know, try to bring them along. You can always experiment with them, only god knows what kind of things are hidden in this forest and if anyone can figure it out, it's the two of you." Hermione nodded, obviously pleased with her assignment, but Harry wasn't finished. "And please, be careful with those portals. I want you to stay near the cave, even if you can't find many things. We'll also need to get some of those lianas so we can safely walk around. We can tie them up at the same tree we used yesterday."  
  
Then, Harry turned to Lavender and Parvati. "You two can explore this cave. I've heard you're really good at drawing, Parvati, so try to draw a map of the cave locating each portal, and also we'll have to bring lianas in here. There's no sense in taking the chance of getting lost while we don't know the surroundings. Also do try to distribute a bit the cave, I guess this will be our main room, but if there are smaller caves, we could use them as bedrooms. We'll also need a store room for all the food we will need to get before the winter."  
  
Turning to the last three boys, Harry spoke to them. "That's what we're going to do, we need to hunt and fish all we can. Also we'll need plenty of fruit and wood, I don't understand how these rocks work, but I don't want to risk having to spend the winter without wood. Anyway, if we don't use it to warm us up, we'll need it to cook or we can always use it for something else."  
  
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Harry sent Seamus and Dean to fetch some lianas. There was no sense in wasting time there, doing nothing. While the two boys were out of the cave, Harry and Ron walked to their trunks and Harry started to put out all the weapons he had received for his birthday. After the confrontation the day before, he didn't want any of his friends to walk around defenceless, even if they were only in the cave.  
  
The collection they got was slightly impressive. Even more so when Ron came up with another set of knives, defensively saying that Charlie had bought them for all his brothers. Harry gave two knifes to everyone, keeping the four remaining in the packages so they would have some reserve weapons. After Dean and Seamus returned, with a couple of lianas, Hermione and Neville went out to start gathering all they could find. Parvati and Lavender went to a side of the cave to speak about how they would start their search and the four other boys stayed near the trunks deciding what would each do.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: I know this is taking a long time getting out, but I'm rather focused in my other stories and I had a bit of a writer's block. I think I have managed to get the story back on track, so the next chapter shouldn't take too long to get out. Also thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta- reader, Vinnie. And last but not least, Merry Christmas to everyone. 


	7. The first hunt

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
Ron and Harry were walking as silently as they could around the trees. They were both holding their lianas tightly, not wanting to get lost, while in their other hands they held a sword and a throwing knife respectively. Dean and Seamus had decided they would take care of the fish and the water, using the portal Dean had accidentally discovered yesterday. Until now, Harry and Ron had collected some fruits and roots, but they hadn't had any luck with animals yet. All they were able to find were some weird squirrels but Harry had wisely withheld from trying to kill them since they were fast and would probably be very hard to catch; it wasn't worth risking loosing a knife for them. Ron was slowly getting frustrated, it wasn't really that he was in any rush to kill something, but he knew they would need the food. A whole winter without meat didn't sound very appealing. Harry, on the other hand, was much more relaxed, reminding his friend that this was only the first time they were out.  
  
They were starting to run out of lianas when Harry suddenly crossed another portal. They had lost count of the number of portals they had crossed in the few hours they had been walking, but this one was different. It led to a part of the forest with a big lake in its midst. Harry stopped and narrowed his eyes in thought. This place was peaceful and it had lots of water, there was no doubt that different animals would come here to drink. After voicing his opinion, Ron and him agreed to stop walking and wait between the bushes for something to appear.  
  
After an hour, when they were starting to wonder if they had been wrong, Harry saw the first traces of life approaching them. It was a group of about forty animals. With satisfaction, he noticed they were rather small and slow, so Ron and he shouldn't really have too much trouble in hunting one of them. Looking carefully around, his eyes fell upon that was standing a bit apart from the group. Nudging Ron, he pointed toward it. His friend nodded and pulled out his own knife. Silently, they climbed into the nearest tree and, after they were securely sitting, they aimed their knives to the unsuspecting figure.  
  
ZASSSSS  
  
Both boys looked on in satisfaction as the body hit the ground with a small thud and the rest of the group started to run away from the lake, leaving their dead companion were he had fallen.  
  
With a quick movement, Harry managed to get another knife through one of the running animals before they all disappeared. Pleased with themselves, both boys climbed down the tree and, still being careful to keep hold of the liana, they went to recover their food. Ron looked a bit nauseated by all the blood that surrounded the fur of the small rodent. Harry, seeing this, quickly pulled the dead bodies into a bag after retrieving the knives and tightly closed the bag. Looking at his watch, which he had got as a birthday present during the summer, he noticed it was starting to get late and they needed to return to the cave before the others started to worry.  
  
The black haired boy turned to look at his best friend, who was looking much better now that the rodents were out of sight. "We should get going."  
  
Ron frowned and protested. "But, Harry, we're not going to have enough with this, there's eight of us to feed!"  
  
Harry sighed. "I know that, Ron, but you can't expect us to find lots of food on our first try. We still have a lot to learn, and remember, we won't be the only ones bringing back food." When his friend still looked unconvinced, Harry spoke again. "Look, mate, I don't know about you, but I don't want to spent the night outside. It's going to take us at least an hour until we reach the cave and the others won't get any meat if we don't arrive there on time."  
  
The red-haired boy finally sighed and nodded his agreement. Noticing it seemed to be very clean, they drank some water from the lake, then started to make their way back, following the path they had marked.  
  
Twice, they nearly got lost because they walked through a portal that was too close to their path. Luckily, the first time that it happened, Harry had been able to keep his grip on the liana and had been able to walk back. After that, they had just decided to tie a plant around each other's middle so they would stay together. That was a good thing, because when Ron fell through a portal, Harry simple pulled him back to him. This was starting to get annoying; they would need to find a way to spot portals since there were so many. It took them about an hour longer to get back, since they had to be much more careful.  
  
Parvati sighed in relief when she saw the two boys return. They had all been on edge, none of them had liked the idea of getting separated but there really was not much of a choice. Once everyone had left, she and Lavender had started out by getting some more lianas from outside. They were really going to need them if they had to look through the cave. On their way back in, they had pulled the large feline that had attacked them in after them. There was no sense in leaving it at the entrance of the cave for another animal to eat if they wanted it for themselves. Getting over their initial disgust, they had pulled the feline towards a side of the cave promising themselves that they would take care of it later. Once that was arranged, they tied the first liana to a rock at one side of the large cave, and then they went through the portal Dean had discovered. As the boy had said, the portal came out to a river and the two girls washed up as good as possible without actually letting go of the guide plant.  
  
Once they were back in the cave, they walked towards the portal Ron had discovered and went to the other cave. From there, they began to search for other portals. Lavender was doing most of the search while Parvati, who had picked up some parchment and ink, started to draw a map. After a few hours, they had discovered about twenty different caves and decided that that would be enough for now. The biggest cave of them all was the one they had used that night. From there they reached the cave Ron had found; it was small, much smaller than the main cave, but it had many portals. Some of them lead directly outside, but five of them opened to other caves. Those five caves opened to other caves and other places outside, but there were some rooms that didn't have any portals at all. After double-checking those caves, Parvati and Lavender decided they would use them as sleeping rooms since they were somewhat safer than the large cave. They selected the two of the larger caves that would serve as the rooms. Later on, they would be able to each get his or her own room but for now it was best if they remained together. In between the two bedroom caves, there was a smaller cave. Lavender immediately decided that would be a storeroom since they would need some place to keep things stored, like their trunks. In Parvati's map, they named the different caves with either the stone colour or the function. The other caves without portals would be used for storage of the most important things. The others could be used for other things if they reached the point in which they needed more space.  
  
They returned to the main cave and carried the dead feline towards one of the closer rooms. It had white stones and was very cold. They had decided that this room would be best able to store food, since it would conserve it better than any other cave. Once that was done, Parvati noticed it was nearly time to have some lunch. Not knowing when everyone would be returning to the caves, they made only a few snacks. They were already eating when Hermione and Neville returned with their arms full of branches and wood. Hermione smiled slightly at them.  
  
"Hey, what about some help? We've brought a lot of wood, fruits, and plants, but we can't get it in all by ourselves."  
  
Both girls smiled back and stood up. Lavender went back outside with Neville, while Parvati showed Hermione to a cave opposite of the freezing cave, where they could store the wood. It took them nearly an hour to get everything inside. Since no human has ever been in the forest, there was a lot of material to collect. Wood was easily found in the forest from fallen branches and even small trees that had fallen down. Neville and Hermione had headed towards the woods, knowing they would find most of the things they needed there. The first thing they had collected had been as much wood as possible. Hermione preferred to keep to the bigger pieces of wood, since they would be more useful. They had spent nearly two hours bringing the wood towards the cave's entrance. Knowing that no animal would be interested in it, they didn't feel apprehensive to leave it there. After that, they went to the woods once again, always using their lianas to keep together, to collect plants and fruits, and placed them in the bags Hermione had insisted they brought along. Neville was really impressed by the many kind of plants they were finding. And even if they could recognize some of them, there were a lot that still remained unknown. It was while collecting one of the unknown plants that Neville thought about something.  
  
"Hey, Hermione."  
  
The girl looked down from the tree she had climbed to collect some of it's yellow fruits. "Yes, Neville?"  
  
"Do you think it would be possible to make our own garden inside the cave? It would be much more useful than having to go out every time. Besides, then we wouldn't have to worry about winter."  
  
Hermione climbed out of the tree and looked pensively at the other boy. "Maybe, it really depends on the types rooms Parvati and Lavender have found. But we would need a warm room with some kind of sun-light, else the plants wouldn't grow."  
  
Neville nodded, he had thought the same. It would be difficult to find such a room, but they could try. "Ok, I'll remember to ask Parvati about it when we return."  
  
Hermione was still looking thoughtful but nodded nevertheless. It was lunchtime when they decided that they had done enough for that morning and returned to the cave. With Parvati and Lavender's help, they managed to bring everything into the cave and sat down to eat with them. Once Neville was finished, he looked up to the two girls who had stayed in the cave.  
  
"I have a question for you two; have you found any kind of room that we could use to grow plants?"  
  
Both girls thought about it. Lavender cocked her head and asked, "How would the cave have to be?"  
  
Hermione looked up from her snack. "Well, first there should be light, better if it was sun-light. It has to be warm, and the floor can't be made of stone. There should also be a easy way to provide water." She thought for a moment and then added. "And it should be protected, of course."  
  
Lavender nodded pensively and took out Parvati's map. "There's a cave that we could use, but we would have to make some changes." She pointed to a room that was near their bedrooms. "This cave is pretty big; we didn't want to use it as a bedroom because the floor wasn't made of stone, but from some kind of earth. There is a small opening on the ceiling; it looked like it had collapsed some time ago. The stones there don't seem to be very strong and look like they are about to fall down at any moment. If we could bring them down, there would be a very large hole in the ceiling and it would allow sun-light to come in."  
  
Hermione nodded. "What about water, and is it warm?"  
  
Parvati took up on the description. "The stones on the wall are green and even if it's not as warm as in here, it's warmer than outside. As for water," She pointed to the room that led into the green cave. "This cave has a small river, we could made the river change its course to go through the green cave."  
  
Hermione frowned. "I don't know if that would work between portals, Parvati."  
  
The girl shook her head. "These two caves are not connected by portals. They are actually two caves united by a small hall."  
  
Hermione smiled slightly and finished eating her snack. "What do you think, Neville?"  
  
The boy smiled slightly. "I would have to see it first, but it sounds good."  
  
A new voice came from behind them. "What sounds good?"  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. 


	8. Starting the greenhouse

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
Everyone turned around and started laughing. Dean and Seamus were standing there, completely drenched but with a bag full of fish. Dean scowled at them. "If you don't stop laughing, there's not going to be any fish for you."  
  
Everyone quickly sobered up, but their eyes indicated that they were still laughing. Parvati stood up and took the fishes from Dean. "Go get changed, or you'll catch a cold."  
  
She gave them the map and motioned for them to get moving. Both boys looked at her and in unison they said: "yes, Mum."  
  
Parvati scowled at them and left the room with the fishes while everyone else laughed.  
  
It was nearly dark when Ron and Harry finally returned. Both boys were looking exhausted from the long walk and were happy to find a small fire burning in the middle of the cave. Even if they didn't need it because the room was quite warm on it's own, the fire was comforting. They dropped the things they had been carrying in one corner and joined their friends at the fire. Everyone smiled in relief; they had started to get anxious, there was no doubt in their minds that it was very dangerous outside and they hadn't felt comfortable with the idea that it might get dark while some of them were still outside.  
  
Harry stretched out and looked around the silent room. "How did everything go?"  
  
Hermione looked up and started to speak. "Neville and I have started to collect wood and fruit, but if we have to use it during the whole winter, we will need to collect much more then what we got. On the other hand, if Neville's plan works, we only will have to worry about the wood."  
  
Harry and Ron looked questioningly to the other boy, who blushed a bit. "Well, while collecting plant outside, I thought it might be a good idea to make a small greenhouse in here. Parvati and Lavender found a good room for it."  
  
Ron smiled broadly. "That's brilliant."  
  
Hermione smiled at her friend's enthusiasm. "It won't be that easy, Ron."  
  
Harry looked at her. "Why not, Hermione?"  
  
The girl sighed and looked towards the fire. "The room is fine, but we will have to make changes in it. Like bringing the ceiling down and change the course of the river. I don't know of any other way to do that but to use magic." Everyone frowned, well aware of what that could mean. "Besides, if we make a hole in the ceiling, we will also have to put some protection on it, else, when it starts snowing, the snow will come in and we'll be left with nothing."  
  
Dean broke the silence that had stretched for a while. "Hermione, you said that we could do a bit of magic, didn't you?" The girl nodded. "What if we just do a bit each day, we would go slowly, but we wouldn't exhaust ourselves that way."  
  
The girl frowned and shook her head. "That's a good idea but you're forgetting something. We need to get out of here. Even if we manage to do this and are able to make a greenhouse, we still need to get out to take care of meat and fish, not to mention wood and larger plants. I wouldn't feel comfortable going outside not knowing if my magic is going to hold up if anything happens."  
  
Lavender looked up. "We could take turns. Parvati and I have pretty much mapped out the caves now, we only need to make them liveable. But anyone can do that. Each day, two of us could use magic to do the greenhouse and then stay at the cave doing something while the other six work on collecting things."  
  
Everyone nodded slightly and Harry looked at Hermione. "Do you think that that would work?"  
  
The girl shrugged slightly. "That depends on how long it lasts for our magic to return but it's the best idea we've had so far, and the chance of having a greenhouse in here is too good to pass up. We can try it, at least, for a little bit."  
  
Everyone nodded. Harry sighed and stood up. "We should start right now, after all we don't have that much time until winter is upon us."  
  
Hermione nodded. "I think it would be best if Parvati and you started."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "And why is that?"  
  
Hermione smiled slightly. "Same reason as with the trunks. You two and Ron have the most magical energy, but it's better if Ron stays able to go out tomorrow so he can show us where you two have hunted today."  
  
Everyone nodded in acceptance and they moved towards the green room. Hermione quickly decided that the first thing they had to do was to bring the ceiling down, since it would take them time to move all rocks away once they had fallen. Parvati looked a bit unsure at her. "How do we do that?"  
  
Hermione smiled a bit and showed them a movement with her wand. "You need to say the word Detonare. Try to not use much magic."  
  
Harry smirked at her. "Easy for you to say." He looked up at the ceiling. "Are you sure the caves are not going to collapse on us if we do this?"  
  
Hermione looked at him seriously. "No."  
  
Harry looked at her. "So we could be buried alive if this doesn't work out?"  
  
The girl nodded. "Yes."  
  
Parvati and Harry looked at each other for a moment and then the girl spoke. "Maybe you should get out of here, then. There's no sense in risking everyone's lives."  
  
Harry nodded but everyone else shook his or her heads. Neville spoke for everyone. "We are in this together, no matter what. If we end up dying here, then so be it."  
  
Harry looked like he wanted to argue, but in the end he sighed and turned to face the ceiling. "Ready, Parvati?"  
  
The girl shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be."  
  
Both raised their wands and stepped a bit back so they wouldn't be directly under the ceiling. "Detonare!"  
  
There were two flashes of red light and a big explosion ran through the room.  
  
To be continued. 


	9. Aftermath

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery:  
  
Dean carefully looked up, trying to see through the dust that now filled the cave. He was all covered up with dirt, but unhurt. Looking around, he tried to make out the figures of his friends, but to no avail; he couldn't make out anything through this dust. Coughing a bit, he called out, "hey, guys, is everyone ok?"  
  
To his left he heard Lavender's voice answer him. "I'm fine, and so is Neville. How about everyone else?"  
  
Ron's voice sounded muffled. "Get off me, Seamus! You're heavy."  
  
They all could hear some movement and then Ron's relieved sigh when the other boy got up. Before Dean had the chance to ask them if they were alright, Hermione's concerned voice ran through the cave.  
  
"Harry? Parvati? Are you both alright?"  
  
It took a moment before Harry's exhausted voice answered them. "Define alright, Hermione."  
  
Everyone sighed in relief but started to move when Parvati's voice sounded. "Instead of just standing there, being relieved, you could help us out here. I don't know about Harry, but I would like to breathe some fresh air and there's no way in hell I can stand up on my own right now."  
  
Harry grunted and slowly started to get up from where he had fallen. Since the dust had started to settle down, Dean was able to see the movement and walked to his side to help him stand up. "Are you feeling well, Harry?"  
  
The other boy nodded tiredly. "Fine, Dean, just a bit tired; that took a lot out of us."  
  
Hermione appeared at his side. "But you did a very good job, as far as we can see; you managed to bring the whole ceiling down, and you put enough effort in it so that the stones that fell are small enough so we can move them without much problem without magic."  
  
Parvati, who was leaning on Ron, complained from behind them. "Can we get out of here? I really want to lay down."  
  
Dean nodded and started to walk forward, dragging Harry along. Neville appeared at their side and started supporting the black-haired boy from his other side, while Lavender did the same with Parvati. Seamus and Hermione walked forward, making sure that the cave was still in one piece, and nothing else would collapse on them. Quickly they extended some robes on the floor and made two makeshift beds for their friends. Dean and Neville appeared first, nearly carrying Harry, shortly followed by the other members from their little group. They lay both teens down. Lavender stayed at their side, talking softly to them trying to keep them awake, since Hermione wanted them to eat something. Everyone else was running around the room, trying to do get things done as quickly as possible. In their haste, they only managing to get in each other's way and were going even slower. Finally, Ron, who had been carrying a cauldron full of water, got enough of it and raised his voice. "Enough!"  
  
Everyone stopped moving around and looked at him questioningly. The red haired boy glared at them all. "All of us need to calm down, we're only making things worse. Neville, you sort through the plants you and Hermione brought in today and pick out something we can make some soup with. Dean, look through Harry's trunk, there should be some meat in there; we will have to deal with what Harry and I killed tomorrow. The rest of you, either sit down or leave towards the smaller rooms and start making some kind of sleeping arrangements for everyone."  
  
Everyone sighed and did as they were told. Within twenty minutes, they had all eaten and Harry and Parvati were soundly asleep.  
  
Everone else, gathered around the fire and started to talk about what they were going to do in the morning.  
  
Hermione stretched out a bit. "Someone should stay and start clear that room. I doubt Harry and Parvati will be in any condition to do it. Besides, I wouldn't like the idea of them staying here alone."  
  
Everone nodded in agreement. Ron shrugged. "I'll stay."  
  
But Lavender shook her head. "No, you won't. I need you to come with me to show me where Harry and you hunted today; we all need to get familiar of where it is so we can go there without a guide each time. We need to bring lots of food back since we have no idea how the winter will be. We also still have to take care of meat and fish we brought back today."  
  
Seamus cut in. "Talking about that, how are we supposed to keep the food good? I mean, the winter will last months and the food without conserving charms, will rot."  
  
Everyone thought for a while until Hermione answered. "Dean, Seamus, did you notice if there was any salt near the river? If we had enough salt, we should be able to conserve the food. At least, that's what people tended to do in the muggle world before there were fridges."  
  
Dean frowned a bit. "I don't know if there were, Hermione, but I'll make sure to look for it when we go out tomorrow."  
  
Lavender spoke up. "Besides, there's a cave that's very cold; I don't know how long we'll manage to keep the things in a good state, but it will help."  
  
Hermione looked a bit surprised at her. "Really? That will help a lot, so we won't have to put salt on everything. Is it very big?"  
  
Lavender shrugged a bit. "Same size as the one we put the wood in earlier." Then she added. "Parvati and I dragged that feline thing in there. Does anyone have any idea how to clean and cut it up? I mean, we can hardly leave it there with its fur."  
  
Neville looked a bit sick. "I once saw how they cleaned up a rabbit; it's really disgusting, but I guess we'll have to get used to it."  
  
Hermione looked fascinated. "I have seen it too. I guess that means that Neville and I will be staying here tomorrow. He can start to clean up the rooms and I'll try to do something about the cat." In an aftertought, she added, "we should also start with our rooms. It's nice to sleep all here together, but there's more than enough space to have at least separate rooms for boys and girls."  
  
Dean nodded. "Not only that, we could also see to it that we find something more permanent for beds. I don't know about you, but I don't look forwards to sleeping on the floor for months; it ends up being uncomfortable."  
  
Ron raised his eyebrows towards him. "And how do you plan to do that? It's not like we can go to a shop and buy a new bed."  
  
Dean glared at him. "No, but we may be able to get enough plants to do something, to make it a little more comfortable."  
  
Hermione placed a hand on Ron's shoulder to stop the sharp remark she could see was coming. "Calm down, Ron, Dean has a point, it would be more comfortable. We may not be able to make a bed as such, but if we make a hole in the ground for each of us and fill it with some hay, it will be nearly as good as a bed."  
  
Seamus shook his head. "Hermione, how are we going to do that? In case you haven't noticed, the rooms around here are made of solid rock." He looked at Lavender. "The other rooms are the same, aren't they?"  
  
Lavender nodded. "With the exception of the green room, the other rooms with no portals in them are all completely made in rock." She looked at Hermione. "And we can't do magic, at least not for now, we'll need all our reserves to finish the green room before the winter."  
  
Hermione smiled wickedly. "Ah, but we still have potions. As much as I loathe to admit it, they will be much more useful in this kind of situation than magic." She smiled mischievously towards Neville. "Or have you forgotten the nice little potion you created the last day of term last year. The one that made a hole in the potion's class floor."  
  
Neville groaned loudly. "How could I forget? I thought Snape was going to murder me on the spot. I've seen him pissed off at me hundred of times, but I swear that one was the worse. I'll never forget that you're not supposed to put unicorn hair with mandrake roots, 'cause it makes an acid that will be able to go through nearly everything."  
  
His eyes opened wide when he realized what he had said and Hermione smirked pleased. "Exactly, my friends, and that include rocks."  
  
Ron beamed at her. "Hermione, you're a genius!"  
  
The girl blushed brightly, making everyone laugh. "Ok, it's decided then. Lavender and Ron will hunt tomorrow. Dean and Seamus will go fish and take care of some plants, and Neville and I will stay here."  
  
Everyone nodded. They stayed in silence a while longer. It was too early to go to bed, but there was nothing else for them to do, so they put out the fire and laid down in their makeshift beds, hoping that tomorrow would go well.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks to my beta, Vinnie. 


	10. Hunting

Disclaimer; I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
They woke up very early the next morning. It was not even light when Dean and Ron went out to get some water, but they were tired of lying on the hard ground. They really would have to do something about it soon. Lavender and Seamus quickly made something for breakfast, using the food Harry still had in his trunk, while Hermione checked on Harry and Parvati, to make sure they were resting all right. Neville, who had just gotten up, moved to her side and looked as she checked on their friends. Softly, he spoke.  
  
"Are they alright, Hermione?"  
  
Everyone stopped doing what they were doing at the moment and looked at her. The girl shrugged slightly. "I think they are fine. As far as I can tell, they are just sleeping."  
  
Everyone nodded, understanding that, even if she was smart, she was not a medi-witch, and that therefore she could only guess what was going on.  
  
Once they had eaten, Dean, Seamus, Ron, and Lavender decided to go together to hunt and fish. After all, there was a big lake where Ron and Harry had hunted the day before, and to them it didn't really matter where they got their food.  
  
This time it took them nearly two hours to reach the place, because they had to be careful to remain together and to follow the path the two boys had followed the day before, in hopes that nothing had changed overnight. The lianas were a great help, because Ron knew that without them they would have been hopelessly lost.  
  
Once they reached the lake, Dean and Seamus were about to go do their things when Lavender stopped them. "Hey, wait a moment. If the two of you start fishing, then all those animals are going to run away, and Ron and I will not be able to catch anything."  
  
All boys turned to look at her and nodded, knowing she was right. Dean sighed and was the first to speak. "What do you suggest we do, Lavender?"  
  
The girl looked towards some of the bigger animals. "How about we try to hunt one or two of those together. Then you and Dean can go fish something while Ron and I collect plants and fruits."  
  
Seamus looked sceptically towards the animals she had pointed to. They were from the same kind as the one Harry had killed when they had first arrived. "You're nuts, Lavender. Once we start attacking them, they are either going to flee, or they are going to hunt us as a group. I don't fancy trying to outrun one of those things."  
  
Ron frowned. "Maybe we could climb on a tree and try to kill them from there."  
  
Dean snorted. "Yeah, right, Ron. I may not be Hermione, but I know that those cats can climb trees, all cats can! That would be even worse. Besides, how are we supposed to bring what we kill back? They are not very big but we would have to carry them for at least two hours."  
  
Lavender frowned at him. "Lower your voice, Dean; you're going to scare every animal away. Besides, you can't expect us to keep hunting small things. They are fine as long as we can provide for enough fresh food, but I might want to remind you that winter is approaching in about two months, it might start to snow and we're going to have to stay put in our cave. Even if we can risk it to go out, there might not be any animals around. We need the meat desperately; there are eight of us to feed!"  
  
Seamus put a calming hand on the girl's shoulder. "Why don't we take care of one problem at the time? First, we have to figure out how to safely hunt those things; later we'll think about how we're going to bring them back to the cave."  
  
Everyone nodded in agreement. After all, if they couldn't carry them back, they could always leave them there, the other animals wouldn't mind. Dean looked at the big felines again and started to search through his pockets. "How about we kill them from far away and then, if they try to come too close to us, we can use fire to keep them away."  
  
Ron raised an eyebrow towards him. "That's a cool idea, but how do we get the fire in the first place? Unless you've forgotten, we can't do magic, and I don't want any of us to end up as Harry and Parvati while we are out here in the open."  
  
The other boy rolled his eyes and finally took his hand out of his pocket. "Don't be dense, Ron. Of course we're not going to use magic, but you're forgetting that the world doesn't revolve around it. Muggles live pretty well without the use of magic, and they certainly know how to quickly light a fire." He opened his hand and showed his friends the small lighter. While Ron looked confused at it, Lavender and Seamus smiled.  
  
Dean, seeing the other boy's confused look, pushed on the small button and the flame sprung up. Ron yelped softly, looking at the object with huge eyes. His friends couldn't help but laugh at him; they had never seen the other boy so startled. Lavender patted the red-haired boy on the shoulder and smirked at him. "You'll get used to it."  
  
The other two boys went to pick up some wood while Lavender tried to tell Ron the difference between using a lighter and doing magic. When the tall boy was finally convinced that Dean wouldn't get hurt by using the small muggle object, they joined the other two and made two solid torches, wrapping a few plants around two long staffs.  
  
Ron and Dean climbed up the tree and took their knives, aiming for the big felines. Seamus and Lavender moved a bit away from the tree and got ready to light the two torches as soon as the first knife was thrown. The girl quickly nodded to the two boys above them and Ron, who had waited for her signal, threw the first knife with as much strength as he could. He had thrown it to one of the smaller felines, who had been standing a bit away from the group, and the animal quickly fell down. The other animals noticed at once, and while most of them started to run away, a smaller group came to them, intend to attacking them. Dean was able to kill another one with his second knife while Ron missed his mark. Seamus and Lavender had quickly lighted the torches and were trying to drive the felines away from them. It seemed to work until one roared in anger and jumped.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie. 


	11. The cubs

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
The four children looked on as the feline jumped, in that instant all their instincts awakened. Seamus and Lavender jumped aside, trusting their torches towards the animal, while Ron and Dean forgot about the running animals and trained their weapons towards the single feline. The animal landed and was about to jump again when it felt the hot flames embrace its sides. He didn't have time to react when two sharp knives pierced his skin, one of them hitting its heart and killing it in an instant. Everyone stayed motionless, breathing heavily, trying to recover from the shock. Finally, Seamus managed to put himself together and looked to the girl.  
  
"Are you alright, Lavender?"  
  
His friend looked at him and finally nodded. "I'm ok, it just scared me." Then, looking down at the big cat, she asked. "Why did it attack us? All the others were running, it didn't seem like they wanted to fight us."  
  
Ron and Dean landed at their sides and both shrugged. Seamus frowned. "Who knows, you should ask Hagrid, he probably would be able to tell you. But right now we have some more pressing problems. We've managed to hunt a lot, now, how on earth do we carry this all back to the cave?"  
  
Ron and Lavender both sat down, trying to think of a way to manage to get the felines to their cave. Seamus went to do the same, but Dean stopped him. "I want you to look at something."  
  
With a puzzled look on his face, Seamus followed Dean and climbed on the tree after him. Ron and Lavender followed them with their eyes until Lavender heard a small mewling sound coming from somewhere near them. Carefully, she stood up and walked towards the sound, making sure the liana was still firmly wound around her waist. Looking through a few bushes that surrounded the lake near where the pack had been, she raised an eyebrow when she saw her hand disappear. It seemed she had found another portal. What startled her even more, was when something small and wet pressed on her hand, followed once again by the strange sound. Frowning, she sighed and tried to grab whatever it was that was touching her. She was very startled when her hand touched something warm and furry. It had to be an animal, because it was moving under her hand. Ron, who had by now noticed that she had gone from his side, came to stand next to her.  
  
"Lavender? What is it?"  
  
The girl looked up at him and then finally grasped the warm body and pulled it out of the bushes. It was a little feline, who was mewling slightly at the unexpected cold. Ron frowned too and also put a hand in the bushes, coming out with another cat.  
  
The girl looked up at her friend. "Do you think that is why the feline attacked us?"  
  
Ron looked up at her in surprise, his hand once again inside the hole. "Who do you mean?"  
  
Lavender looked at him annoyed. "That cat, of course, the one that jumped on us. Do you think she was trying to protect her cubs?"  
  
Ron shrugged taking out another little cub. "It's possible."  
  
Lavender had wrapped the small cub in her arms and looked as Ron put his arm in the bushes a third time, this one it came back empty. "Well, that's it, there are no more little cats in there." He sat back, arranging the two kittens on his lap. "Their mother is dead, if we leave them here they will die too."  
  
His friend shrugged. "We'll take them to the caves with us."  
  
Ron looked thorn. "Lavender, do you really think we can manage to take care of three little cubs on top of ourselves? Besides, these cats are dangerous, you've already seem them in action."  
  
The girl turned furious eyes on him. "Are you suggesting we leave them here alone? You know they will be dead by tomorrow."  
  
Ron sighed. "No, Lavender, I don't want to leave them, but you must realise that this is not going to be like taking a pet. When they grow, they may attack us, then we would have to kill them. Would you be able to do it, Lavender?"  
  
The girl looked into the serious eyes of her friend, and then back to the small cubs. "If I must kill them when they are big, I will. I wouldn't put any of you in danger."  
  
The boy nodded and stood up, the two little cubs still mewling in his arms. "Neither would I. Come on, lets see if Dean and Seamus have found a way to get all that meat back to the cave."  
  
Lavender smiled delighted and also stood up. They walked back towards the two other boys who had happy grins on their faces while they climbed down the tree. Seamus turned to face them and was about to speak when he saw the kittens mewling in his friends arms. Dean, who had also come over, immediately picked one of them out of Ron's hands and started to pet it. "Where did you get those from?"  
  
Lavender told them what had happened and the other two boys agreed that it would be too cruel to just abandon them.  
  
Before they could start to discus more about the animals, Ron interrupted them. "Dean, Seamus, what did you see up there that was so important?"  
  
Both boys grinned again and Dean spoke. "When we were up there, I saw a place that seemed to be very familiar. We are not a hundred percent sure, but we think that not far from here is the portal that leads to the caves, you know, the one with the river."  
  
Lavender looked interested in that little piece of information, if that entrance was near here, it would make things much more easy. After a short talk, it was decided that Dean and Ron would go see if they were right, while Lavender and Seamus started to gather the death felines and tried to fish something.  
  
00000000000000000000000000000000000000  
  
Back to the cave, Hermione had started two fires and put two cauldrons on them. She had spent about an hour looking for a basic healing potion that she could do with the ingredients they had and that wouldn't require any spells. The second cauldron would be to make an highly acid potion that they would use to try and melt the rocks. While the girl worked on the potions, Neville had gone to the green room and had started to remove the smaller rocks that had fallen from the ceiling. He put them to one side of the room, knowing that he would be able to use them latter on to mark the separation between different kinds of plants.  
  
They worked steadily for a few hours, constantly keeping an eye on Parvati and Harry, so they would notice when their friends finally woke up. Hermione was just bottling the highly acid potion when he heard a small sound coming from the corner where both teens were resting. She quickly put the vials on the ground, wiped her hands on an old cloth and moved towards them.  
  
When she knelt by their side, she saw that Harry's eyes were slightly open and that the boy was trying to sit up.  
  
"You should stay lying, it will probably still be a while until you start feeling better. No sense to waste the little strength you have."  
  
Harry groaned softly and rested against the robes he was lying on. "Nice to see you too, Herms. I should be grateful that I didn't end in the hospital wing again." He paused for a moment, trying to find a comfortable position. "Then again, at least there were comfortable beds in there."  
  
Hermione chuckled briefly. "We're working on that, Harry. If things go as planned, you will be able to sleep in an improvised bed in a few hours time."  
  
Harry smiled a bit and tried to sit up again.  
  
"Harry."  
  
The boy looked at her. "Hermione, everything is starting to hurt, the ground is too hard, so could you please help me sit up?"  
  
Hermione just sighed at his words and helped him until he was sitting comfortably against the stone wall. Looking around, Harry frowned.  
  
"Are you here alone?"  
  
The girl returned to her potions while shacking her head. "No, Neville is in the green room, he has started to remove the stones."  
  
"And the others?"  
  
"They have gone out, they brought some food with them, so I wouldn't expect them to come back anytime soon."  
  
Harry nodded and looked around a bit. "Is there anything I can do to help you, Hermione?"  
  
The girl frowned darkly at him. "You're not moving from where you're sitting until you're feeling better."  
  
The boy chuckled slightly. "You're way too overprotective."  
  
"Harry!"  
  
The boy lifted his hands up. "Ok, ok, I'll be good and stay sitting here."  
  
The girl nodded, looking at him distrustfully and returned to the healing potion she was starting to make.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. 


	12. After the hunt

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
Parvati woke up a few minutes later, also complaining about the hard floor. Harry had managed to convince Hermione that he was well enough to at least read, and she had handed him a potions book so he could try to find useful potions. It was strange to not rely on magic, but they didn't have much of a choice and at least potions would help. While leafing through the book, Harry promised himself to thank Professor Snape for being such a bastard, at least now they knew enough about potions to try and make some useful things.  
  
Parvati had moved to his side and was looking at the book over his shoulder, when suddenly, her hand shoot out and made him stop. Reading the title, he looked back at the girl.  
  
"Who do you want to poison, Parvati?"  
  
The girl rolled her eyes. "You to start with." Slapping him gently, she smiled. "Don't be daft, Harry, I was just thinking that we could try to find some way to use poisons to hunt."  
  
Harry nodded slightly; it wasn't a bad idea, but they would have to be very careful about it, he didn't want to end poisoning himself or the others. He would have to ask Hermione about it later.  
  
Neville joined them a little while later, and they had a bit of lunch. The healing potion was ready, and Hermione forced Parvati and Harry to drink some before telling them to sleep a bit more. Reluctantly, the two teens lay down again and in a few minutes, they were once again deeply asleep. The evening passed peacefully, Hermione and Neville managed to cut the big feline open and threw away everything they thought they wouldn't use. It was a very messy job and they were covered in blood by the time they were finished. Sighing, Hermione put the last bits of meat into the freezing room and put the skin away, knowing they would be able to use it later. The two teens were just deciding who would go and clean up first, when a tired Ron and Dean entered through the lake portal. Both boys froze in shock at the sight of their two friends covered in blood. Before they had the chance to speak, Hermione was at their side.  
  
"What happened? Where are Seamus and Lavender?"  
  
Ron blinked. "I think we should be the ones asking what happened. Are you hurt?"  
  
Before the shock could be replaced by concern, Hermione hurried to reassure them. "We're fine, really, we were just cutting up the big cat." Seeing the relief in both boys' faces, she spoke again. "What about you?"  
  
Ron shook his head. "We're fine, we were just trying to find the way into the caves from the lake; it took us a lot longer than we thought, bloody portals. We have managed to hunt quite a bit, but it would have been impossible to drag it all the way we came. Dean recognized the place we were at and managed to lead us here. Now we need to get back and start to carry everything here."  
  
Dean smiled slightly. "It won't take too long, now that we know the way, we'll be able to do it before it grows dark outside." Looking at his two friends, he shook his head. "I suggest you two clean up, there's no need to scare anyone else." Both teens nodded and watched as their friends turned around, and before they left, Dean spoke again. "How are Harry and Parvati doing?"  
  
Hermione smiled reassuringly. "They are both going to be fine, they woke up for a few hours before I sent them back to sleep."  
  
Nodding, both boys disappeared through the portal followed by Hermione, who would be the first to clean up.  
  
About two hours later, Lavender stepped through the portal carrying a small bundle in her arms. Looking around the room, she couldn't help but smile at the warm feeling coming from it. A big fire was roaring at the centre of the cave, and Harry and Parvati were sitting up against one of the walls talking quietly while watching as some kind of meat was roasting on the fire. Neville was sitting on the other side of the fire, fumbling with one of their cauldrons. He was the first to notice her. Smiling, he stood up.  
  
"Lavender! We were starting to think something had happened to you."  
  
The girl smiled and walked closer. "Could you go help the boys out, Nev? I'm afraid they are having a bit of a problem carrying the things into here."  
  
Leaving her bundle on the ground, she untied the liana and handed it to the other teen. "Of course."  
  
Following the liana, Neville disappeared through the wall and Lavender turned to the other two teens. "Hey, how are you feeling?"  
  
Parvati smiled at her. "We're fine and still a bit weak but Hermione's healing potion works wonderfully."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "As if there was ever any doubt."  
  
The three of them laughed quietly before Parvati's eyes fell on the bundle resting at Lavender's feet. "What's that, Lave?"  
  
The other girl bit her lip looking nervously at Harry. The boy raised an eyebrow in question and she bent down to pick it up. Moving towards them, she knelt at their side and slowly allowed them to see the three cubs wrapped inside the robe.  
  
Harry blinked and cocked his head. "Why did you bring them here, Lavender?"  
  
"We killed their mother. I couldn't leave them there, Harry, they would have been dead before dawn."  
  
Harry nodded in understanding. "I see." Then he frowned. "You want us to keep them, right?" At the girl's nod, he continued. "I have no problem with it, but I want you to remember two things, first, we cannot take all the cubs we find; we may kill more mothers, and it will be sad but we can hardly start to gather them all in here. And second, if they become dangerous, we'll have to kill them, no question about it; I'm not going to risk any of you."  
  
Lavender chuckled softly. "Ron said the same thing. It's ok, Harry, I understand, and thank you."  
  
Harry smiled at her. "Lave, I'm not only doing this for the cubs or for you, but if we manage to train them, or at least get along with them, they might be wonderful protectors when they grow up. I suggest we treat them like you would a dog, a cat, or an owl, talk to them, play with them, feed them, and if things go right, we'll have not only friends but also protectors."  
  
A small whistle came from the other side from the room, and turning around, they saw Hermione standing there with a few empty bottles in her hands. She was smiling at the cubs and at the three teens. "Who would have thought you were able to think logically, Harry."  
  
The boy looked offended, "Hermione! That was not very nice!" Bright laughter came from the other side of the room, where the four boy's had appeared, their arms full and tired grins on their faces. Harry groaned. "Not you too."  
  
Everyone laughed again, and finally, Harry joined them. After they had all calmed down a bit, Hermione led the four boys towards the freezing room to show them were to put their catches. Lavender looked into the cauldron where Neville had been working and smiled at the sweet smell coming from it. Quickly, she started to pick up potions vials and fill them with the soup the other boy had prepared. After that, she started to cut the meat into even pieces, handing the first two to Harry and Parvati who had taken out the small cubs and were petting them.  
  
The others rejoined them talking happily about their day. Looking around, Harry couldn't help but allow a contented smile to grace his face. He wished he was at Hogwarts, safe and protected, but since that wasn't going to happen, he was happy he was here, surrounded by his friends.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	13. Nightmares

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
It had been nearly two months since they had been lost inside the forest. They had developed a steady routine that allowed them to work until they were exhausted, not giving them much time to think about anything but hunting, collecting plants, and preparing for the winter. The days were starting to get shorter and colder, and they feared it would not be much longer until they were forced to remain inside. The three little cubs had survived and were now part of the group.  
  
Neville usually worked on the green room that had now grown into a beautiful greenhouse. Hermione stayed with him in the cave most of the time, working on potions and experimenting with new plants they had never seen before. The remaining five usually went out in two groups, accompained by one of the three cubs, who had grown quite a lot and were now as large as a small lion. Kiara usually enjoyed running around the forest, and as such, she usually joined Lavender and Dean in their search of vegetables and plants. The other two, Shirleena and Ion, joined Seamus, Ron, and Harry in their hunts. Not only did they manage to scare some of the bigger animals so they could chase only a few, they also had started to hunt smaller things on their own. Ion never strayed far from Harry, who had taken a liking to the cub and allowed him to stay near him. Kiara was usually found near Lavender, who cuddled her as if she was a small kitten. Lastly, Shirleena didn't seem to have a clear preference, but she stayed with whoever gave her food, meaning she was usually around either Ron or Seamus.  
  
Thanks to the acidic potion, they had managed to do some semblance to bedrooms in the cave. And while Parvati and Lavender had chosen to share a room, the rest had picked their own. During the long nights in which they were just too tired to work but it was too early to retire, they mostly worked with their rooms, combining potions to make what furniture they wished. It was hard working with stone and Hermione had been forced to brew a basic potion so they could counteract the acidic one. Around the cave there were a few rooms with portals that could not be used as bedrooms but they had been used for practice to make things; they usually called them the workrooms, and they spent much time in there. They didn't only work with the rocks available from the cave; they also worked with anything from the animals they hunted could give them.  
  
Hermione had instructed them all in the best way to dissect an animal to get their fur and bones that were later used to make blankets or arrows respectively. It was hard work but they did it anyways, knowing it would give them something to do. In the strange days that they were not in the mood to do anything, they sat in the common cave, sitting around the fire as they listened as Hermione read from one of their school books, or Neville lectured them about some strange kind of plant, giving ideas about their future uses.  
  
Lately Hermione had been trying to find out a way to see the portals. It was annoying to get around with something tied around your waist, and even if they had managed to change the lianas with more solid ropes made of them, they still lived in fear of getting lost in the big forest. So far they had had not much luck; the only thing they knew was that for some reason, the animals born into the forest were able to somehow sense the portals. The three cubs never got lost, no matter how far away they went they always managed to return. Harry and Lavender had started to try and train them so they could guide them but, while useful, it was not what they wanted.  
  
Harry was walking through one of the halls, heading to the common cave, with Ion bouncing near him. Before entering, he saw Hermione sitting pensively on a rock, seemingly looking into nothing. Harry approached her cautiously, knowing that to startle the girl would probably mean having to dodge a flying knive. Living in the forest had had its side effects. Their survival instincts were at full attention, and they all had shifted to attack first and think later. They had also learned to move without sound, and they had to make a conscious effort to make themselves be heard if they didn't want to catch each other unaware. The girl looked up when he was three feet from her and smiled slightly up at him.  
  
"Hey, Harry."  
  
The boy went to sit next to her. "Is there something wrong, Hermione? You seemed to be very far away."  
  
His friend shook her head and petted Ion. Then she pointed to a far wall. "Look there, Harry. What do you see?"  
  
Harry blinked; looking, he saw it was a plain wall. Looking for a long moment didn't help; it still looked like a wall to him. Turning his head to tell her that, he suddenly saw a small flash from the corner of his eyes. He turned to look at the wall again and frowned. It didn't look any different, but there was something wrong.  
  
At his side, Hermione smiled slightly. "So you see it too."  
  
Harry frowned. "It's a wall, Hermione, but when I turned my head it seemed to flash slightly, and now that I look carefully, it seems to be brighter than the rest of the wall."  
  
Hermione nodded and stood up. "Yes, but it's very faint, and you wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't pointed it out, would you?"  
  
Harry shook his head and walked closer. "Why do you think it's shinning?"  
  
The girl smiled and simply struck her hand through the wall. "It's a portal. Shirleena was just walking with me and suddenly started to run. I turned around quickly and noticed the small flash."  
  
Harry blinked and looked at her in awe. "Hermione, are you saying what I think you are? That we're starting to see the portals?"  
  
Hermione nodded slightly. "It seems to be that way, yes."  
  
The boy frowned. "But how, I don't recall having done anything different lately."  
  
Hermione looked pensively for a moment and then slowly spoke. "I think it's some kind of reagent of the water or the animals we hunt. You know they are able to see the portals, so there must be something that reacts with that kind of energy and allows it to become visible to our eyes. The reagent is slowly building up in our bodies, and we're starting to notice the changes it brings."  
  
Harry frowned worriedly. "Could that have some other kind of side-effect? It could be dangerous."  
  
Hermione nodded calmly. "It could, yes. But there really isn't much of a choice, unless you suggest we stop eating and drinking." She turned to him. "It could take us months to discover what the reagent is, so there really is nothing we can do but allow it to run its course and hope for the best."  
  
Harry sighed and nodded reluctantly. Even if he didn't like it, he knew he couldn't really waste all their time trying to find out something that so far had not done any wrong to them. "Do you think it will get better?" Hermione looked at him questioningly and he motioned towards the portal. "The sight of portals, will it get better?"  
  
Hermione shrugged but nodded. "Probably, yes. We'll have to wait it out." She turned towards him, looking serious. "Don't tell the others until they notice on their own, there's no need to get them nervous."  
  
Harry frowned a bit but gave his assent, there really was no need to alarm them; everything was complicated enough as it was. They walked together to the common cave and sat down in front of the fire, where Parvati and Dean were already making dinner.  
  
It was nearly one o'clock in the morning, when a sharp scream woke them up. Ron and Hermione immediatley recognized Harry's voice and hurried towards his room, Kiara and Shirleena running in front of them and the other teens trailing behind. Ron was the first to enter, a knife ready in his hand. Harry was sitting up in his bed, shaking arms around his knees, the three cubs meewling softly around him. Hermione pushed past Ron and went to sit at Harry side, enveloping the trembling teen in a hug while the other children stayed outside the room.  
  
"Harry, what's wrong?"  
  
Harry shuddered. "Voldemort, nightmare."  
  
Hermione nodded in understanding and tightened her grip. "It's ok, he can't hurt you here. Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
Ron had come to sit at their side after pushing the three cubs into the hall and wrapped an arm around Harry's trembling shoulders. "Voldemort was furious, he had found out..." He frowned in thought, trying to remember what it had been about. Then his head snapped up, and he looked frantically at his friends. "Snape! He found out about Snape being a spy for the light side, he put him under cruciatus, and then he ordered his Death Eaters to throw him into the Forest, we have to find him before he gets himself killed!"  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	14. Finding Snape

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
No sooner had Harry said those words, everyone started to move. Hermione decided to stay with Harry, who wasn't in any state to move around the Forest safely. The other teens parted into two groups, each taking one of the cubs while Ion remained with Harry and Hermione. Lavender, Dean, and Seamus took the path through the lake while the other three took the main path through the forest, the one they had used to find the cave. They knew they needed to be quick, but it was difficult when they had to make sure they didn't get lost.  
  
Hour after hour the two groups continued their search, but realistically speaking, it would be nearly impossible to find the man, the forest was just too complicated to make a complete search. It was already late morning when Lavender's group returned to the cave, completely exhausted. They hadn't had any luck in their search but were just too tired to keep going on. Half an hour later the others also returned. Hermione gave them something to eat and send them to bed, saying she, Harry, and Ion would go out.  
  
For two days they continued their search, but the possibility of finding the man alive diminished every hour. Ron had gone out with Dean and Neville; they had been looking for hours and were ready to call it a night when Shirlena, who had come with them, ran to one side and started to hiss. Sighing tiredly and gripping the rope tightly, Neville parted from the others and went to see what the cub had seen. At first he thought it was just some leaves, but at Shirlena's insistent hissing, he came closer. Narrowing his eyes, the boy knelt next to the leaves and extended his hand. He was very surprised when he touched something solid and warm, excitement started to build in him when he quickly brushed the leaves aside.  
  
"Ron! Dean! He's here."  
  
Seconds later both boys were at his side, pulling their unconscious professor out of his little refuge. The man looked like hell. His clothes had been torn and bruises coloured his pale cheeks. Yet, he was still breathing and his heartbeat was steady. It seemed he had been unconscious all that time.  
  
Ron shook his head in amazement. "The man is so lucky; it's a wonder some animal hasn't killed him yet."  
  
At his side Dean snorted in amusement, while holding the man's head in his lap. "I wouldn't pull it past Snape to spell his clothes so no one would be able to injure him if they caught him unaware."  
  
Ron chuckled tiredly, nodding in agreement. At their side, Neville was pulling out one of Hermione's potions. "Can you lift his head a bit, Dean? I need to give him this."  
  
The boy did as asked and between Ron and Neville, they managed to make the thin man swallow the healing potion. Once they were finished, Ron and Dean took the man under his arms and pulled him up. It was surprising how easy it was, and Dean couldn't help but wonder if they were able to manage it due to the man's light weight or due to their time in the forest.  
  
About half an hour later, the three teens and the unconscious man stumbled into the cave, where a worried group was waiting. Neville was the first to enter and was immediately approached by a worried Parvati.  
  
"Where on earth were you?!"  
  
Neville smiled tiredly and motioned to the rest of his group, who was just crossing the portal. "We found him."  
  
Hermione and Seamus quickly led the group to one of the rooms and helped to put the man down on the bed while Harry started to make warm drinks for everyone. Neville and Hermione stayed with Snape for a long time, healing his numerous injuries as well as they could, considering their limited resources. When they returned to the common cave, only Harry remained there, the others had gone to sleep. The teen looked up and smiled tiredly.  
  
"How is he doing?"  
  
Hermione shrugged and sat down, accepting a vial filled with tea. "I think he's going to be fine, but I'm not a mediwich so we'll have to wait and see."  
  
Neville nodded. "It might take a while for him to wake up." Then, looking to Harry, he smiled apologetically. "We put him in your room; it is one of the safest. I hope you don't mind."  
  
Harry shook his head. "I'll be sleeping in Ron's room then. Do we need to watch him?"  
  
Hermione smiled. "Not really, there are no portals leading outside near your room so there's no danger of losing him. Neville and I stay mostly in the cave so we'll notice if he wakes up. Hopefully, before he gets himself in trouble."  
  
Harry couldn't help but chuckle. "You do realize you're treating him like a child, don't you?"  
  
The other two teens laughed, and Hermione couldn't help but blush lightly. "Yes, well, you know how Slytherins can be."  
  
Harry nodded lightly and stood up. "I'm going to bed, go get some rest; you sure need it."  
  
After wishing them good night, he left, Ion walking sleepily at his feet.  
  
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000  
  
Snape groaned softly, he felt extremely tired, and something told him he was nowhere near Hogwarts. The bed he was lying in was not as comfortable as the usual beds in the hospital wing, where he usual found himself when he couldn't remember what had happened. Still wary to open his eyes, he tried to think about what had happened this time. He could tell he had been under the cruciatus, and he tried to remember what he had done this time to displease the Dark Lord. Slowly, it all came back to him. He remembered Lucius and Voldemort accusing him for being a spy, Crabbe and Goyle had punched him for a few minutes when he refused to admit it. When he finally had shouted at Voldemort's face that he had been spying on him for years he had been put under the painful curse. Moving a bit around, the man felt sharp pains in his limbs. He couldn't help but wince, at least it meant he was still alive, but why? Why hadn't Voldemort killed him? Then it also came back. He had been thrown into the Forest of Mystery. It was the final punishment for those who betrayed the Dark Lord to finish their days in a place where their worst enemy was magic but where, without it, was nearly impossible to survive. Sighing, Snape finally opened his eyes. If he was going to die in this place, then he wouldn't do it lying down.  
  
He had to blink a few times to get used to the darkness. He was surprised to find that he wasn't outside like he had expected, instead, he was lying in some kind of cave. As his eyes grew used to the dim light coming from the walls, he noticed he was lying on soft plants and that a warm fur blanket was covering his bruised body. The final thing that assured him that there had to be someone nearby were the bandages that covered his body. Carefully, he sat up, his body protesting at the movement. When he was leaning against the wall, he looked around once again. He noticed the trunk standing at one of the corners. There was a small fur lying in front of a large, flat rock with some papers on it. A cauldron was placed next to the bed and, moving a bit, Snape saw it was full of liquid, by the looks of it, water. At his side, on the floor, was some kind of robe. Picking it up, he was quite startled to recognize the Gryffindor crest sewn into the left pocked. His hands started to tremble.  
  
Could it be? It had been months since the children's disappearance. Some students had seen them disappear into the Forest of Mystery before the Aurors were able to stun the Death Eaters. Hogwarts had been mourning them as dead. They had all given up hope for them to be alive, knowing that the chances of surviving in such place were slim to none. Yet, he was here, he had been lying in some sort of bed and his injuries had been healed. Gathering his strength, he stood up shakily and noticed he was only wearing his pants. It was cold in the cave and he quickly put on the robe. It was a bit short, but it was warm. Slowly, he started to make his way to the entrance, keeping his balance by leaning on the wall. The cave he was in led him into another cave with three other entrances. Looking around, he wondered which one he should take. Then he suddenly heard a voice.  
  
"Shirlena, for goodness sake, stop nibbling at those plants. Why don't you go annoy Hermione?"  
  
Snape stayed still and saw a blur go out through one of the entrances. It was quite big, and had catlike features. The cat stopped dead in its tracks and regarded him curiously. Snape froze in place; it was a Girion. They were quite dangerous when provoked, their claws were extremely sharp, and they knew how to use them. The Girion looked at him for a few moments before it started to yip happily. Snape was almost grateful when the voice approached them.  
  
"Shirlena, what are you doing?"  
  
A young man appeared at the entrance, and Snape couldn't help but slightly gape at him. He recognized the features of his former student, but he had become much stronger, and he walked with a confidence he had always lacked at Hogwarts. The teen also looked at him for a moment before smiling slightly.  
  
"Good to see you awake, Professor. We were starting to think you weren't going to wake up." Then he turned to the girion. "Go to Hermione, Shirlena."  
  
The cub licked his hand briefly before bouncing away. Neville's attention returned to the potion master who was still looking at him intently.  
  
"How are you feeling, Professor?"  
  
The man blinked slightly. "I'm fine. Where are we?"  
  
Neville raised an eyebrow at the man; he obviously didn't believe him, but he let it slide. "We're in the Forest of Mystery."  
  
Snape sighed. "Obviously, Mr. Longbottom. But what is this place?"  
  
Neville looked calmly at the man and then turned around. "What exactly do you expect me to tell you, Professor? This is our cave, but I'm sure you've also noticed that, so why are you bothering to ask that?"  
  
The man scowled at him but nodded and started to follow the boy to the cave he had come from. "Very well; how did I get here?"  
  
"Harry had one of his nightmares, saw how Voldemort threw you into the Forest, and we began to search. It took us a bit over two days to find you, and even so, it was only by sheer luck that Shirlena noticed you."  
  
They entered the cave together and Snape couldn't help but gasp in surprise at the sight that greeted him. It seemed to be some kind of greenhouse, and it was warmer in there than outside. Looking hesitantly at the teen, he carefully questioned him. "This wasn't here when you first found the cave, was it?"  
  
Neville chuckled while picking up his robe. "No, of course not. We are expecting to spend the winter here so it's better to have some resources. It's not finished yet; we need to put on some more heating charms around here, but Harry and Parvati are still recuperating from the charms they did from two weeks ago. Hermione thinks they will be ready in another week."  
  
Snape frowned. "You know it's dangerous to use magic in here, don't you?"  
  
Neville nodded solemnly. "Of course, if we didn't, we would be dead. But we need to have some plants to survive the winter."  
  
The potions master looked at him annoyed. "And why are you so intent in staying the winter? Why didn't you return to Hogwarts?"  
  
Neville narrowed his eyes. "Impossible. This forest is full of portals that are invisible, and they lead to total different parts of the forest." To show his point he stuck his hand through the wall and when he pulled them out, they were wet. "To try and get out now would be suicidal; it's getting cold, and it has already snowed a few times. We would be dead before finding our way out."  
  
Snape sighed. "Damn. That means I'm stuck with you for months, doesn't it?"  
  
The teen couldn't help but laugh. "I guess. Look at it this way, Professor, you don't need to teach us."  
  
Snape didn't seem to find that thought relieving. He was about to tell the boy so when a girion bounced in. At once he noticed it wasn't the same as before; looking at Neville questioningly, he saw the boy was smiling at the entrance of the cave.  
  
"Already back, Harry?"  
  
Snape turned around sharply and was faced with Harry Potter. If it was possible, he had changed even more than Neville. He had grown a few inches, his hair had grown quite a bit, and he was wearing it tied up. The large bangs were covering the famous scar but he had a new one covering his right cheek. His green eyes were regarding him calmly, he seemed completely in control. Blinking slightly, the young man nodded and walked closer, while the cub went to sit at his side. "We called it an early night; it's starting to rain harder." He looked up to the ceiling and smiled slightly. "It's good to know the wards are holding up." The he returned his attention to the professor who was still regarding him closely. "Professor Snape, it's good to see you awake. Has Neville told you about our situation?"  
  
The potions master snapped out of his thoughts. "He has told me a bit; we're going to stay here for the winter."  
  
Harry nodded lightly. "Yes, that's correct. But I want you to realize that even if we start searching for the way out, there's no guarantee that we'll find it. We could be stuck here for much longer, especially since we're not able to see the portals... yet."  
  
Snape pressed his lips together. "I realize that, Potter. I hope you've been working on the matter of seeing portals?"  
  
"Our principal objective is survival, Professor. But yes, Hermione and Neville have been working on it in their free time. We were hoping you would be able to help them once you've recovered. We can not rely on magic so we'll have to search the solution in the potions."  
  
Before Snape could reply, Neville spoke. "About the portals, Harry, I noticed earlier a small flash when looking at that one. I'm not sure if it's something important."  
  
Harry smiled slightly. "Hermione and I have noticed too. Hermione thinks it's because some reagent we're drinking or eating but she's not sure." Turning to Snape once again. "She will be able to tell you all about it. Come now, everyone is waiting for us to have dinner."  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	15. Explanations of hunting

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
Neville and Harry walked with the other man towards the main cave, making sure he stayed on his feet long enough to reach it. Everyone else was already gathered around a bright fire and greeted their former professor politely. Snape merely nodded at them before taking a seat between Harry and Hermione.  
  
After Dean had served everyone their portion of food, Hermione turned to Snape and started to talk to him quietly, explaining what she had been doing about the portals. Surprisingly enough, the older man listened to her attentively, nodding from time to time and asking a few questions to clarify things. Neville soon changed places with Harry to add his own conclusions to the discussion.  
  
The former professor looked at his two former students in something akin to respect. It seemed that the Granger girl had dropped her air of know-it-all and was now telling things precisely, not boasting about the fact that she did know something that the others didn't. More surprising was the fact that Longbottom was able to talk to him calmly. If any good came out of their stay here that would be the boy's new confidence. While the discussion was interesting, Neville and Hermione seemed to slip into an old argument, allowing the Potions Master time to look around more carefully. The cave was fairly large; they had obviously established it as their get together room. The walls had holes about a meter from the ground that was obviously used for storage. Looking at them carefully from his place on the ground, he was almost sure that they were not natural. Several furs covered the floor, giving the place a comfy appearance. Yes, living here would not be that bad, as long as the brats continued to be civil.  
  
Looking around, he located the rest of the teens sitting in a circle looking over something. Seeing that the two teens were completely engrossed in their own discussion, the professor got up and approached the other groups. He had been walking silently as he always used to do at Hogwarts, yet he didn't miss the quick glance all the teens gave him when he moved. They were the first to hear him walk in a long time and that made him feel particularly vulnerable. None of them said anything, but Lavender and Seamus moved to give him a space to sit down. It seemed they were really ready to consider him part of their own group, and through the layers of hatred and contempt, he couldn't help but feel a bit pleased. He didn't know if he would have been able to do the same had their situations been reversed.  
  
Sitting down at the offered spot, he saw that the thing lying between them was a small map. Looking at it in interest, he managed to make sense of some of the markings, like trees or the river painted across the paper, but others were too random and didn't make any sense to him. A hand suddenly pointed to one of the yellow dot he had been staring at. "These are the portals we've found so far, but they led to places we don't recognize." Looking up startled, the man understood that Weasley was only giving this explanation for him, since his friends probably already knew. The boy nodded at him calmly and moved his finger to a purple dot. "These dots all bring us to the caves; there are many rooms in here and some of them have several portals. Parvati can give you a map of them later." Without waiting for an answer, he moved his finger to several green dots. "These are trees in which we've hidden potions, bandages, and in some, even weapons. If something ever happens, you can find some things there to help you out; it's not much but it's the best we've been able to do so far." Snape was fairly impressed; in several weeks, the reckless Gryffindors had turned to calculating and cunning teenagers that would fit in his own house rather well. The planning that had gone into the map and the things Weasley was telling him about was astounding, and Snape had a hard time reconciling the idea that these children were Gryffindors. He turned his attention once again to the map when Ron moved his hand to point towards another spot, this time marked in blue. "These are the spots we've found where you can easily get fish. And lastly, the black spots are those in which we've put traps."  
  
Snape looked up a bit startled. "Traps?"  
  
Seamus nodded seriously. "Most of our meat comes from hunting, but since we're trying to gather as much supplies as we can so we put up traps. Usually little holes with a sticking potion. We only manage to get small animals this way, mostly rabbits and rats, but who knows when we'll need them, even if it is to feed the cubs."  
  
Severus nodded seriously and looked at the map once again. "I don't notice spots in where you can get plants and fruits on the map."  
  
Parvati smiled slightly. "That's written on another map; it would be useless to use only one colour for plants since you may need a specific plant at the moment and you may not have the time to walk through all the spots."  
  
She stood up and walked towards one of the holes in the wall. After looking in it for a while, she came back with a rolled up parchment. Dean helped her unroll it so it covered the other parchment. Snape looked mildly surprised at the accurate drawing. He could tell it was the same spot but it was much more detailed, and instead of dots, it was filled with small printing. Looking closer, he noticed it was filled with names of several plants.  
  
Lavender smiled at his surprised gaze, but before she could comment, he pointed to a name. "I don't think I've ever heard about this plant."  
  
The teens looked at the name he was pointing at, and Harry smiled at him slightly. "Well, there are some plants we couldn't find the name. No matter how many books on herbology Neville and Hermione have, we just couldn't find any match, so we named them. You may be able to identify them, but it's also possible that they only grow in here."  
  
Ron nodded. "There are strange things around here: animals we've never seen or heard about, plants, minerals. We try to name anything we don't know, it's easier than to try to guess about what someone else is talking about."  
  
Snape looked amused towards the boy, but then turned serious. "I hope you don't use those plants you don't know."  
  
Harry shrugged slightly. "Hermione experiments with them, but other than that, no." Looking up at his professor he smirked slightly. "I'm sure you'll enjoy playing with them too."  
  
The other teens also laughed, attracting Neville and Hermione's attention that went to join them. Snape looked interested as Hermione went to sit on Seamus's lap and Neville sat next to Harry. That particular group of Gryffindors had always been divided in small groups: the trio, Seamus and Dean, Lavender and Parvati, and lastly, Neville who used to hang out with another boy in Ravenclaw just as interested in herbology as he was. But now, seeing them sitting together, he noticed they had become a well- balanced group. There didn't seem to be secrets between them anymore, and he couldn't help but wonder how much effort it had taken them.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	16. Changes

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery  
  
"Something wrong, Professor?"  
  
The older man looked at the serious green eyes of the teenager and shook his head slightly. "You have all changed a lot."  
  
Lavender smiled sadly and leaned against Neville. "We have, haven't we? It's difficult to really notice when you have all live together; the changes have been gradual so we can't really tell. Must be a bit of a shock to you."  
  
Snape looked a bit startled. She was talking to him like he was just another teenager; it had been years since anyone had talked so freely around him. Shaking his head a bit, he gave her a very small smile. If they were able to put aside their feelings towards him, he should try and do the same. After all, he was the adult. "It is, you seem to be much more mature. And dare I say, much more Slytherin?"  
  
A few months ago, these words would have insulted them; right now, all the teenagers laughed carelessly. Dean cocked his head to a side. "Why, thank you, Professor. Who would have thought you would ever compliment us?"  
  
Snape smirked, very pleased that they had caught the meaning behind his words, since he indeed considered them a compliment. He then continued with his evaluation of the changes. "You also seem much closer, like there are no secrets between you."  
  
Parvati smiled. "That's because there aren't, or at least, nothing major. You know, in this place there's not much to do at night, so we talk. We need to trust each other, we need to know everything about each other that may be important, and we've spent many nights talking about things that have happened."  
  
Snape's look became guarded, and Hermione chuckled softly. "Oh, don't worry Professor. We don't expect you to suddenly start talking about your secrets; if you don't want to tell us, you don't need to, we would never pressure you into it."  
  
Ron nodded. "We just want you to know that if you want to talk we'll listen. It gets very lonely here sometimes, and while you are right now thinking that you will never tell us anything, the loneliness might get to you."  
  
They all stayed silent for a long moment, then they moved once again to sit around the fire. Snape looked around for a long moment at the young faces; he felt welcome here, and more comfortable then he had in a long time. And without meaning to, he started to relax. The comfortable silence stretched but soon, he started to feel tired. He had just woken up a few hours ago and his injuries were starting to hurt again. Harry, who had been looking him over carefully, immediately noticed his discomfort and stood up.  
  
"It's late, we should go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day." Everyone nodded and started to get up. The green eyed boy motioned for Hermione and Neville to wait a bit, and then turned to place a hand on his professor's shoulder, indicating he should remain seated. The older man looked at him in disbelief, did the brat really think he was going to obey him? But the strong hand didn't budge from its place, and the potions master was just too tired to fight it for long. When everyone else had disappeared into the dark caves, Harry turned to Hermione.  
  
"He's in pain."  
  
Snape opened his mouth to protest but Hermione was already moving. She went to one of the holes and took out a small vial filled with a dense green liquid. All the while, Neville had knelt at his side and was checking the bandages on his arms. They were doing it so naturally, without causing any fuss, and Snape could not think of any reason to stop them. Harry was looking at everything calmly; he had been at the receiving end of the duo's healing a few times and knew they were good at it. The fact that Snape wasn't complaining also showed that they were still doing a good job.  
  
When Neville had gone through the bandages around his chest, Hermione gave him the vial. Being the potions master he was, he started to inspect it really carefully. He knew that that act tended to irritate the person who had made the potion, but Hermione just waited calmly until he was done.  
  
"It's too thick."  
  
The girl shrugged a bit and smiled at him. "That may be the case, Professor, since I had never done this potion before coming here, but it works well enough."  
  
Snape looked at her with a surprised glance. He had expected her to argue against his critique; after all, this was know-it-all Granger. But the girl had simply acknowledged that the man knew better and told him he was probably right without causing a fuss. That was probably the reason that compelled him to drink the potion without further complaint. After all, he was in pain, and he was in no state to brew one himself. At once, he felt the pain dull and his eyes start to drop. Strong hands helped him to stand up, and his sleepy mind told him that Neville and Harry were guiding him towards the cave he had awoken in. The moment he laid down, he was out, much to the amusement of the teenagers.  
  
Hermione left with a small chuckle, allowing the two boys the chance to put their professor to bed after examining the bandages around his lower body.  
  
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He felt better this time when he woke up. Snape saw he was in the same room he had been in the day before. He was once again dressed in his pants and the robe he had been wearing was at his side. On top of the robe, was a piece of paper. Quickly, he picked up the robe, since it was quite cold and then looked at the parchment. It was a small map, similar to the one he had been looking at yesterday, but this time, it pictured the caves. There was a small note attached on the map, written in Harry's handwriting:  
  
Professor,  
  
The yellow dots are all the portals that lead to the outside, but we would prefer it if you didn't leave alone; it's too dangerous to get lost.  
  
Harry.  
  
The man fumed lightly at those words, who did the boy think he was? But on the other hand, it wasn't a stupid command; from what he had heard about those portals, they were really dangerous, and he was not foolish enough to risk getting lost only to go against Harry. Looking once again at the map, he stood up and slowly started to make his way to the common room. He was a bit surprised to find it empty; he had expected the children would be there. Looking at the map again, he tried to figure out where they could be. Finally, he decided to go to the green room near his room; Neville had been in there the day before so it wouldn't be surprising if he was there again. Carefully, he made his way there and was relieved to see the boy hunched over some plants at the far end of the large cave.  
  
The teen looked up when he approached him.  
  
"Good evening, Professor."  
  
The man stopped in front of him, seeing he had been slowly cutting some leaves from a small plant. "Evening?"  
  
Neville smiled slightly. "Yes, it's nearly five o'clock."  
  
Snape looked a bit embarrassed. "I hadn't realized it was that late."  
  
The teen shook his head lightly. "Don't worry about it; in fact, we thought you would sleep longer." Standing up, he put his tools away. "Are you hungry?"  
  
Shrugging, the man followed him out of the cave. Neville quickly led the way towards the common room and immediately set out to warm some soup for the man. Snape sat down in front of the fire, warming his bandaged hands. "Where's everyone else?"  
  
"Hermione is probably in the lab, experimenting once again." He poured the soup in a vial and gave it to the professor, who looked a bit startled but accepted it. "Everyone else has gone out. The rain stopped early this morning, and they decided to go check on the traps and try their luck with some fish."  
  
Nodding, Snape continued to drink the soup; it was warm and glided lightly through his throat. Once he was done, he turned to face Neville, who had been looking at him intently. "Is there something wrong, Mr. Longbottom?"  
  
Rolling his eyes lightly, the boy smiled. "I was wondering how you were feeling."  
  
Blinking, the older man shrugged lightly. "I'm still a bit sore, but better than yesterday. Is there some place where I could take a bath?"  
  
Neville nodded and motioned towards the parchment he had put on the ground next to him. "There's a room labelled as bathroom; you can go there."  
  
Nodding, the older man stood up and left the room after thanking the teen.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie. 


	17. Settling in

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery  
  
When Snape returned to the living room, refreshed from the cold water, he saw Hermione waiting for him, a small book in her hands. The girl smiled up at him and stood up.  
  
"Had a nice shower, Professor?"  
  
The man raised an eyebrow. "I doubt that swimming a bit in cold water could be considered a shower."  
  
Hermione chuckled a bit and shrugged. "It's the best we have, at least it's private and close enough to the main caves to be useful."  
  
Snape nodded lightly, conceding her point. "You were waiting for me, Miss Granger?"  
  
The girl nodded slightly. "You might as well call me Hermione, Professor." She didn't wait for the man to answer and continued. "You need to choose a room for yourself and start arranging it to your liking. Even if he hasn't said anything, I bet Harry would like his room back, and I'm sure you would be much more comfortable with your own things."  
  
Severus frowned a bit; he hadn't even given a second thought about the room he had been occupying, then he nodded lightly and took out the map he still carried. Hermione bent over it and pointed towards three caves.  
  
"This one is near the green house, but I wouldn't pick it since it's probably going to be very hot in there once the charms are completely in place."  
  
The man looked up slightly. "Charms?"  
  
Hermione nodded. "We'll need the heating charms to keep the temperature in the green house, and the easiest way we found to do that was to charm the walls. Unfortunately, that makes the caves surrounding the green house hotter than they would naturally be." She moved her finger towards another room. "You might like this one, it's between the lab and the freezing chamber." At his raised eyebrow, she elaborated. "We suspect the entrance of that cave is an actual portal, even if we've not managed to prove it. It leads to another cave, much like the ones around here, but it's very cold. We keep our food there."  
  
Snape nodded. "Smart. Anything else about that room I should know?"  
  
Hermione shrugged slightly. "It's a bit small compared to the others, but otherwise, it's fine. But I think you would prefer this one." She pointed to a larger cave, it was close to the room he had been using. "It's not close to the lab, but it has a portal that leads to it, and there's a small portal to the lake where you can wash. It's bigger, dry, and comfortably warm. Lavender used it once, after a small fight with Parvati, therefore the hole for the bed is already made and you could move in at once."  
  
Snape looked pensively at the map, he could see the small names written on it. If he took that last room, he would be close to Harry and Dean, who had rooms that came out to the same hall. The thought might have bothered him had the circumstances been different, but with the children acting much more mature than before, he didn't think it was going to be a problem. Besides, the other room near the lab was next to the cave Parvati and Lavender shared, and he somehow knew that they would be much louder than the two boys. Nodding, he turned to the girl who was patiently awaiting his answer.  
  
"I would like to see that last room you said."  
  
Hermione chuckled lightly, she had been expecting that answer from her professor, and so she simply motioned him to follow her. The cave was larger than Harry's, and the walls were dark, but Hermione had taken the precaution to bring one of the torches with her so they could start a fire in one of the ends of the cave. Looking around, Snape saw the hole Hermione had told him about, it was against the wall opposite from the entrance. Approaching it, he could tell he would have to make it longer, since he was quite taller than Lavender.  
  
Hermione, who had managed to light a fire, turned to face him. From her robes, she withdrew several vials. "Professor." When the man turned to face her, she continued. "These are acidic and basic potions, we've been using them to make the holes in the rocks. If you're going to make some kind of shelves in the walls, try not to go to deep, I doubt you would want a window into Harry's room." The man chuckled softly while she handed him the potions. "You should check the room for portals. Parvati and Lavender did it at the beginning, and Lavender did it again when she slept here, but you can never be too sure."  
  
The man nodded, and then Hermione walked out of the cave and motioned for the man to follow. She showed him the portals she'd been talking about, and after that she left him to his own devices, muttering something about a potion.  
  
Smirking lightly, the man returned to his own cave and started to make plans. He would have to spend the next several months in there; he might as well get comfortable.  
  
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He had been using a bit of acid to make one of the shelves, when the silence was disturbed by the sound of running paws. He turned around, a bit startled, and saw one of the girions running through his cave. He was pretty sure it was the one that had been with Potter... Harry, the day before so he looked up to the cave's entrance. He wasn't overly surprised to see the boy standing there, looking around the room carefully.  
  
"Can I help you with something, Mr. Potter?"  
  
The boy smiled slightly. "Do you mind if I come in, Professor?"  
  
The man raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you ask, your pet doesn't seem to mind barging into places."  
  
Harry chuckled a bit but didn't move from his spot at the cave's entrance. "I apologise, but we never saw any need to teach them were they could and couldn't go. Ion is not just my pet though, he's our pet. We found him and his siblings a while ago, after we killed the mother. It seemed like a good idea to keep them with us."  
  
Snape nodded lightly. "So there are two girions running around the cave, right?"  
  
Harry shrugged slightly. "Actually three, but you didn't meet Kiara yet, she usually goes out hunting and likes to stay outside most of the time."  
  
Finally Snape noticed that the boy was still waiting for an invitation to come in, and he nodded. "You can come in, if you want. Aren't you afraid the girions might get lost if you allow them to roam freely?"  
  
Harry entered the cave and went to sit in front of the fire. "We were at first, but they always come back. It's like they have a sixth sense to find us. Dean thought they may help us to find our way back home, but we're not ready to risk it. There's still a lot we don't know."  
  
Snape nodded and joined him at the fire's side, noticing how Ion had curled up next to the boy. "Hermione told me you allowed me to use your room, thank you."  
  
Harry looked up fairly startled; he never had expected to hear that coming out from his potions master's mouth, but it seemed the man was trying to get along with them, so he simply nodded. "You're welcome."  
  
They stayed silent for a long moment, and finally, Snape asked something that had been bothering him for a while.  
  
"Who makes the decisions around here?"  
  
Harry looked up. "Excuse me?"  
  
"I was wondering who decided what would be best or what you should do each day, you know what I mean."  
  
Harry nodded slowly. "We mostly make decisions together. Of course, no one messes with Hermione's projects or Neville's green house. Each of us has our little projects or things we do, but otherwise, it's a group thing. Why do you ask?"  
  
Snape looked him over carefully, wondering if he had made a wrong assumption. "I might be imagining things, but I would say that your opinion matters more than the others."  
  
Harry looked up surprised, he remembered the agreement that he was leader, but he had never thought he exercised that right. Frowning, he looked at the other man worriedly. "Well, at the beginning, we decided we might need someone who had the final say in things. We had barely arrived here and we needed to make several decisions quick. They decided I should be the one, and there were a few times in which I had to actually make a decision when we couldn't come to an agreement, but I thought I wasn't doing that anymore. How did you notice?"  
  
Snape looked him over carefully and noticed he seemed to be a bit upset. Strangely, he felt the need to reassure him. "It's nothing very obvious. Just how you made Hermione and Neville stay with only a look yesterday, the way you made everyone go to bed without even making a direct request. It's not the fact that you order them around that gave it away, its more how they obey you."  
  
Harry nodded slightly, conceding that the man had made a good point. He had become used to it and didn't even notice anymore. Should it bother him? He didn't do it for the sake of ordering them but rather because he thought it was better that way. He was wrenched out of his thoughts by the man's amused voice.  
  
"Of course, the small note you left me earlier, it pretty much told me I was right."  
  
Harry looked at him embarrassedly. "I'm sorry about that, but it's really dangerous and it took us some time to find you." Smirking a bit, he added. "Actually, for what they have told me, it was sheer luck that Shirlena found you."  
  
Snape nodded lightly. "It's ok, although the note was a bit of a shock; I'm not used to being ordered around by one of my students."  
  
Harry laughed. "No, I don't think you are. Well, I'm sure you'll take points when we go back to Hogwarts."  
  
Snape looked at him seriously, all traces of amusement gone from his face. "Do you honestly think we'll be able to go back?"  
  
Harry looked thoughtfully into the fire. "I don't see any reason why we shouldn't, as long as we're careful and don't risk ourselves." He paused for a moment and then added, "It's not a matter of managing to go back, it's more a matter of how long it's going to take us and in what state the wizarding world will be once we return."  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	18. Little secrets not kept

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
Dean opened his eyes reluctantly. Winter had started a few weeks ago and it was freezing cold in the caves. Not even the fire they always kept in their private rooms and common room were enough to warm them up. They couldn't go out anymore, since it had started to snow and it was too dangerous out there. They had managed to get lots of food and the final charms for the greenhouse had been set in place in time thanks to Snape's help, this way ensuring they would have enough food to last them through the winter. Their only real problem was the continual cold. More than once, Dean had been tempted to just stay in his warm bed, covered by the clean furs of the animals they had hunted and sleep the day away. It was a nice thought, unluckily enough for him Hermione, Harry and Snape knew it was too dangerous to give in to the lethargy that often surrounded them and forced each member of the cave to get up and get moving. Closing his eyes, Dean tried to remember whose turn it was to wake them up. At first they had all taken turns, but after Seamus had once refused to get up when it was his turn, Hermione had refused to trust any of them with that duty. Harry had disagreed with her, saying she didn't have to be the only one to get up early, and in the end it had been agreed that Snape and him would share that duty with her.  
  
"Thomas! If you don't get up in five minutes, I'll pour ice cold water over you!"  
  
Dean groaned and forced his eyes open just in time to see the dark figure of his former teacher retreating from the entrance to his room. Sighing, the boy drew the fur he slept under to his shoulders and sat up. The potions master was really effective in what he did, specially when they knew he would do just what he said. Ron had once refused to get up when the man said so and Snape had just calmly filled a cauldron with water and had poured it all over the teen.  
  
Only Harry and Hermione had found it amusing. Ron had been pouting for hours, sitting close to the fire in the common room. Since then, they quickly got up when the potions master said so. His threats also helped Harry and Hermione in their job, since they only had to tell the reluctant teens that they would just go and get Snape.  
  
Sighing, the teen finally got up and as quickly as possible he got dressed. Since their robes had become much too thin to wear, Lavender with a bit of help from Harry, had sewn fur all over it, making it much warmer that the original robes. The sight might not be very nice, and once in a while Parvati complained that those makeshift robes were uncomfortable, but no one could argue that they were warm.  
  
After quickly washing his face, Dean walked out of his room and to the common room, were the rest of the sleepy teens were already gathering. Today it was Neville's turn to make breakfast and he was already bend over a cauldron, carefully stirring the contents. Dean sat down next to Lavender and the girl smiled up at him.  
  
"Good morning."  
  
Yawning, the teen nodded and looked to where Harry was sitting, comfortably propped up against a wall, with Ion's large form draped around him giving him warmth even if he was sitting slightly away from the fire. The other teen was holding a book with one hand while he used the other to pet ion's white fur.  
  
Dean cocked his head curiously. "Hey, Harry, what are you reading?"  
  
The other boy looked up with a slight smile on his lips. "It's just a book Hagrid gave me for my birthday."  
  
While answering Dean, Seamus had gone to stand next to Harry and suddenly snatched the book out of his hands. "Now, now, Harry, I think you've been spending too much time with dear Hermione."  
  
The girl raised an eyebrow from where she was sitting next to Ron. "And what's wrong about that?"  
  
Seamus raised his hands, in which he still held Harry's book. "Nothing, nothing, it's just he needs to get some fun from time to time."  
  
Harry snorted. "Seamus, your idea of fun is to play spin the bottle or truth or dare. If it's the same to you, I'll keep to my book."  
  
Seamus pouted. "What? You don't want to have to tell Professor Snape over there all your little secrets?"  
  
The trio shared a quick look before turning to the man who was looking at them with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. "Oh, please, Mr. Finnigan, go ahead, I'm sure I'm going to enjoy this."  
  
After another shared look, Ron stood up and smiled slightly at Seamus. "Seamus, my dearest friend, I'm sure you don't want to tell our dear Professor about anything do you?"  
  
Seamus looked at him with a slightly pensive gaze and then smiled apologetically. "Of course not, Ron, we wouldn't want him to know that Hermione was the one who broke into his office, now, would we?"  
  
No sooner had those words left his mouth; the Irish boy had to quickly run out of the cave, being chased by both Ron and Hermione.  
  
Everyone else in the cave was chuckling lightly at their childish display. Harry turned to look at his former professor and was pleased to see the shocked look on his face. After all, it was not every day that you managed to shock the cold man.  
  
Once Snape had gathered his thoughts, he turned to Harry with a raised eyebrow. "So, Granger was the one who broke into my office in you second year?"  
  
Harry chuckled lightly. "Indeed, she was."  
  
Snape groaned. "And here I thought you were the one responsible for that one."  
  
Harry laughed softly. "Oh, in a way... Ron and I were the ones who made the cauldron explode."  
  
The former professor rolled his eyes. "Figures. And may I ask, Mister Potter why you and your friends saw the need to break in into my office and get some of my personal ingredients?"  
  
The teenager, who was still sitting comfortably on the floor, got a faraway look in his eyes, remembering those days. "We wanted to make polijuice potion to get into the Slytherin common room."  
  
Snape glared at him. "That was incredible dangerous and stupid, anything could have gone wrong with that potion!"  
  
Harry grimaced and the other teens grinned. Dean laughed lightly. "Oh, something did go wrong, Professor."  
  
The raven haired boy looked at his friend sharply. "Hermione is going to kill you if you tell him that."  
  
Dean simply shrugged. "She put a wrong hair in the potion, a cat hair, it's a pity no one but Harry, Ron and Madam Pomfrey got to see her."  
  
Snape looked at him incredulously but before he had the time to answer him back, Dean sprang up from his seat and started to run, followed by a shriek coming from the halls. "Dean! I'm going to murder you!"  
  
Looking around, Snape couldn't hold it in anymore, without meaning to, he started to chuckle. He was just too amused at the teens' antics to really care about his reputation. Besides, these teens were starting to know him much better than anyone at Hogwarts ever had, besides Albus of course. They didn't mind the way he had always behaved around them in the past, they just treated him as he was one more even if they kept still some respect for him it was not laced with the dread and fear it had been in the past.  
  
Harry looked a bit surprised at the sound of the man's deep laugh, but quickly he recomposed himself and smiled lightly. The Potions Master had always been way too serious, and while he hadn't cared about it while at Hogwarts he couldn't help but feel a bit pleased to see him relaxing. After all, a relaxed Snape was much easier to get along with.  
  
Next to him, Neville smiled a bit at the man too. He had always been so afraid of Snape. It was hard for him to see that the professor was not the monster he had always thought he was. Shaking his head, he looked up as Seamus rushed past him followed closely by Ron, who was now laughing his head off while chasing the other teen.  
  
Snape shook his head slightly and looked back at Harry. "So, any other dark secrets you don't want me to know?"  
  
Harry chuckled. "Well, I don't think you want to know about how I was really in the library in first year, or how Seamus really was the one who painted your hair dark red, or how Lavender..."  
  
The girl in question looked up sharply and glared at the other teen. "Harry, dearest, I don't care if you want to spent the rest of your schooling years in detention with Professor Snape, but I certainly don't, so please, do me the favour to shut up."  
  
Harry laughed lightly and petted ion who was still wrapped on his lap. "As you wish, Lave, but you understand that he's going to find out about you doing divination using some of his ingredients, don't you."  
  
The girl was up in an instant and tackled Harry to the floor tickling him for all she was worth. Snape looked at them amused and shook his head again, looking at the two last sitting members of their little group. "I hope you have more brains than they have?"  
  
Neville nodded lightly, smiling in the direction of Harry and Lavender. "I don't know if it's the brains, maybe it's something they drank? I haven't seen them act this way for a while."  
  
Snape watched as the younger boy seemed to ponder for a moment before Parvati spoke up from her place next to the fire. "Don't bother about it, Nev, it's just them being infantile."  
  
She helped Neville finish up breakfast and then stood up. Raising her voice, she shouted over Harry's laughing. "Ok, you nutters, if any of you want to have some breakfast stop this childishness now!"  
  
Lavender sighed and looked at her in disappointment before rolling off of Harry. "You're no fun, Parvati."  
  
The other girl shrugged slightly. "I'm just hungry and want to eat."  
  
Slowly, everyone gathered once again around the fire. Most were out of breath due to the running and laughing they had been doing. The last one to join them was Seamus. He plopped down in a seat between Snape and Neville and accepted the soup Parvati was dishing out. "Man, we should be doing that more often. I've gone rusty of all the sitting around."  
  
Harry nodded pensively while slowly drinking his soup. It was true that they were getting lazy. In fact, he had been thinking about it for a while. They had now the chance to get ready to face Voldemort, and while he knew they could not practice their magic, he was sure they could improve their physical fighting. Maybe he would be able to convince the Potions Master to help him think about something to help them in that regard. Looking towards the pensive man, Harry decided he would bring it up when the potion was ready and the man wasn't so stressed out.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews.  
  
I've finally started on the sequel to Fate. It's called Triumvirate of Power and you can find it here:  
  
Hope you like it and that the link actually shows up. Leena is also working on the translation and we'll be updating at the same time. You can find it here:  
  
Both versions can also be found at my yahoo group. Have fun reading it. 


	19. The potion

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery:  
  
Severus was sitting in front of the fire in the common cave. He knew it was very late, probably around three in the morning, but he hadn't been able to sleep. His mark had been hurting all evening and it didn't seem as it was going to stop anytime soon. The pain frustrated him, not that he wasn't used to it by now, but the fact that the Dark Lord was up to something and he couldn't do anything to help was slowly driving him to insanity. Sighing, the man put his head in his hands and tried to drive all thoughts about Voldemort away. He needed to sleep. He, Granger, and Longbottom were getting closer to discovering the cause for their higher sight of the portals. As much as he hated to admit it, the boy's knowledge in plants and Granger's organized research had helped a lot. That, combined with his own expertise in potions, was the major driving force behind their discoveries. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he looked back up into the fire. He wished they could find something definite. He knew they had the time, spring was several months away, and they wouldn't be able to leave until then, but he also hated the thought of not being able to feel safe. He knew the portals were incredibly dangerous, and while the children had started to see them, he couldn't sense them yet, and that made him feel vulnerable. As a spy, one of the first things he had learned is to keep an eye on all the possible escape routes; now that was impossible.  
  
"Couldn't sleep?"  
  
Severus looked up abruptly; he hadn't heard anyone approaching, which was another thing that was annoying him. While he was still able to hear the three girions walking around the cave, it had become nearly impossible to hear the teens. They moved in complete silence, and he could not help but wonder if they were unconsciously casting a silencing charm on themselves. Sighing, he nodded slightly to the teen, who had, by now, sat down in front of him, across the fire.  
  
Harry rubbed his scar a bit. "He's up to something."  
  
Snape looked up at him. "Yes, he is. It annoys me, not being able to warn someone."  
  
The teen nodded pensively. "I know."  
  
They stayed in silence for a long while, both deep in thought. Suddenly, a sharp pain ran through Severus' arm, and Harry gripped his scar. Gritting their teeth, both men waited for the pain to diminish. Finally, as it lessened, Harry relaxed and laid down on the floor. He was feeling dizzy and closed his eyes.  
  
"Potter, are you alright?"  
  
The teen whimpered softly. "Give me a second, I'll be fine; I just wasn't expecting it, and it was kind of sudden."  
  
Snape grunted in agreement and also laid down, resting his burning arm on the ground. How he wished he could get rid of the damned mark. He had tried with several potions while Voldemort had been a spirit, but he hadn't managed to find anything. Maybe once they had managed to find a solution for the portals, he would have the chance to use the rare ingredients they had in the forest to find something that would help him. He had already some ideas, and maybe Granger and Longbottom might help him if he asked. Turning his face to look at the other teen, he noticed Potter had fallen asleep. Looking at the teen's sleeping face, he was surprised to see how peaceful he looked and how childlike. It was hard to remember that he was barely fifteen when you saw him leading his friends around the cave. He was a natural leader, and even he found himself following his words, much like he did with Dumbledore but without the annoyance. The teen didn't have the all-knowing presence the old headmaster had, and that made him much easier to get along with. Sighing, Severus stood up and rubbed his arm gently. The pain was slowly going away, and he thought he would probably be able to go to sleep now. Looking down at the teen, he sighed and knelt at his side.  
  
"Potter." The boy didn't even move. Snape took his shoulder and gently shook him awake. "Come on, Harry, you need to get back to you own room."  
  
The teen opened his eyes and nodded groggily. Without meaning to, Snape found himself supporting the tired teen and leading him to his own room. Once Harry was settled in his bed, Snape went to his own room, and in a few minutes, he was asleep.  
  
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000  
  
It took them three more weeks before the potion was ready, and Snape was relatively sure that there would not be any unwanted side effects. He wished he could have tested the potion on someone else, but he wouldn't allow the children to try it first, no matter how confident he was about the result; he couldn't ignore the fact that they had been using several unknown plants to create the potion, and he didn't know how they were going to react with their bodies.  
  
They had all gathered into the large cave, where a cauldron full of the potion was bubbling on a fire. Without a word, Snape filled a small vial of the potion and was about to drink it when a strong hand clamped on his wrist stopping his movements. Looking at his side, he saw Seamus had been the one to stop him. He was about to chastise the boy when he saw that Neville and Lavender had started filling other vials with the potion. Deciding they were, at the moment, more important, he glared at them.  
  
"What do the two of you think you're doing?"  
  
They didn't seem to be bothered by his ice-cold tone of voice and didn't even move to answer him. Instead, it was Ron who spoke. "Professor, we do realize that this could be dangerous and all. But we made a pact some time ago that if we were going to try something dangerous, we were going to try together. So you can forget trying the potion on your own, we're all going to drink it at the same time."  
  
Snape's frown deepened. "That's utter nonsense, Weasley. Why would we put all of us in danger? With one of us drinking, it will be enough to determine if it's safe."  
  
Parvati rolled her eyes. "Well, in that case, you surely shouldn't be the test subject, after all, you are the Potions Master."  
  
Before the man could reply Dean jumped into the conversation. "Exactly, and that would mean that one of us has to try it, but since we made that promise, none of us will drink the potion on our own, so we're going to drink it all at the same time."  
  
Severus glared around the room, gritting his teeth. "I'm your professor; it's my duty to keep you safe. I can't allow you to drink a potion which could seriously harm you."  
  
Harry's soft voice broke the argument that was about to start. "I understand your reluctance, Professor, but it would be just as stupid to allow you to drink the potion on your own. What are we supposed to do if something goes wrong? As much as Hermione and Neville know, they lack your expertise; they wouldn't be able to act as quickly as you would."  
  
Snape had to concede the boy's point and hated having to do that. His own morals forbade him from allowing any of his students to test an experimental potion, and yet, they were right to say it would be much safer that way. Seeing the determined faces around him and knowing that he would not be able to change their minds, Severus nodded in acceptance, even if his scowl showed clearly he wasn't happy with them.  
  
After Seamus dropped his grip on his arm and accepted the vial Neville was handing him, they all sat down around the fire, and with a last glance at each other, they all drank the potion.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader Vinnie and to Leena for her support. 


	20. Decisions

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters._

**Forest of Mystery.**

Colours, that was the first thing that Lavender noticed when she opened her eyes after taking the potion. The cave was now filled with several colours, each surrounding one of her friends. They were soft, and it didn't bother her eyes to look at them, but they seemed to mean something that she couldn't figure out right now. Looking around, she noticed that everyone was doing the same, looks of wonder passing through their faces. Turning around, she fixed her gaze to the spot in which she knew there was a portal. She could barely contain a gasp at the golden door she saw. The faint sparks they had been seeing for a while now had now formed a golden arch, and if she looked through it, she could discern the cave that lay behind the portal.

Shaking her head, she looked back to Severus, who had moved to Hermione's side and was now talking softly with her. Harry's voice startled her out of her thoughts. "Well, it seems it worked."

Lavender saw Snape and Hermione turn around to face Harry. The man nodded lightly in acceptance of his words. "Yes, it seems it has. We won't be sure if there are any side effects until they come up, but for now, it seems to be encouraging."

Harry smiled at him very slightly. "This certainly will make things much easier when we decide to make our trip back."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they started to walk around the different caves exploring them through their new sight. While his friends enjoyed themselves, Harry approached his former teacher, a serious look upon his face.

"Professor?"

The man turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Now that getting back seems to be a possibility, I was wondering if you could help me get ready to face Voldemort. We both know that he's been reinstating his reign of terror, and it doesn't seem like anyone is able to fight him off."

Snape frowned. "While it is a good idea, I don't know how much I can help you, Harry. Unless you've forgotten, we're not able to use magic here, and while I can teach you theory, we won't be able to practice it."

Harry sighed, feeling the gazes of all his friends on him. "I know, Professor, but it's the best we can do. I can't face Voldemort again without at least some idea as to how defend myself."

Neville's voice interrupted their conversation. "Harry, it's not only you that needs to learn these things; we'll be together in this, so we should learn too, if Professor Snape is willing to teach us what he knows."

Dean nodded from his place on the floor. "True." Turning to the man that was watching them pensively, he spoke again. "Say, Professor, could you teach us how to defend ourselves without magic? It would give us an edge over the Death Eaters since we won't be magically up to par with them."

Severus looked at him pensively; it was not a bad idea, but he hadn't trained like that in years. At first, Voldemort had wanted all his death eaters to be in top physical form, but as time passed, he became more and more obsessed in magic, and the physical training was put aside since the Dark Lord considered it a muggle way of fighting. Finally, he nodded lightly. "I can try. It has been many years since I physically trained myself, but I'm sure I could remember the basics of it, and it certainly will be of help when we have to face Voldemort's armies."

All the teens nodded lightly, determined looks on their faces. They knew they would be the ones to make a difference in the war. They were the silent army no one knew about, and if they played it right, they would be able to bring Voldemort down.

About five months later, they all started to make plans to get out of the forest. They had trained hard and felt that they couldn't learn anything else in the non-magical area. They needed to get out of the forest and see how much they could do with magic now. Severus and Hermione both thought that the time they'd spent in the forest may have affected their magic, but neither was sure how much and in what ways. While Hermione thought that it might have gotten stronger since they were continually struggling to regain it, Snape wasn't so sure and thought that the forest might have taken magic out of them. 

But right at that moment, that was not their main concern. With their new vision and the improved weather, they slowly started to venture further and further into the forest. They never went alone, and they always drew precise maps of the areas they explored, but even so, it was becoming difficult. Several times they had had to camp outside because they weren't in time to get back to the cave, causing worries to the group that had remained behind. Finally, Harry called everyone together. "I don't think we can keep this up anymore, we need to decide now if we're going to risk it and leave the caves or if we're going to wait a bit longer. We have all the surrounding areas mapped out, and unless we go deeper into the forest, there's not much chance to find our way out."

Snape, who had been leaning against a wall nodded lightly in agreement. "I agree with you, Harry, and I personally think that we should get going. So far, the weather seems to be holding, and since we don't know how long it's going to take us to get out of here, we should leave as soon as possible if we hope to find the right portal before summer is over."

Neville sighed a bit. "I don't think we'll just be able to make our mind up and leave, Professor. I don't know about you, but there are many things I wish to take with me, mainly the seeds of the plants we've found around the forest. We need to pack everything up in case we don't make it out of the forest before winter and we have to camp in some other place. That also means that we'll have to cast shrinking charms on our luggage and that means that at least one of us is going to be out for a while."

Snape shrugged. "Good point, but it isn't as problematic as you might think. I agree it is going to take us several days to gather everything together, but after the shrinking charm is done, we can get on our way; it wouldn't be the first time we have to carry heavy things with us."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I guess it could be done, but that also means that if we're attacked by animals, we'll be two members short: the knocked out one and the one that's carrying him at that moment."

Dean looked at her. "It won't be much more dangerous than when we go around in smaller groups; we'll just be a bit slower, but at the same time there's going to be more people around."

Seamus nodded lightly. "I agree with Dean, it shouldn't be a major problem."

There was a moment of silence, and then Harry broke it. "So, does everyone agree that it's time to move?"

All the teens and their professor nodded. Harry stood up and motioned for them to do the same. "Well, then I suggest that we all go to bed and get a good night's rest, after all, we're going to have a few stressful days."

Everyone nodded and started to move around, already gathering the things they had around the cave that they had used as common room. Finally, only Snape and Harry remained, the teen was seated in front of the fire while his professor had not moved from his place against the wall.

"What are you thinking about, Harry?"

The teen looked up at him with a small smile on his lips. "About how much things have changed in just a few months, about Voldemort, about how you're going to have to carry me through the forest."

The last remark caused a smirk on the man's face. "And what makes you think you're going to be the one to perform the spells?"

Harry snorted. "That's obvious, Professor. I am one of the smallest of our group and the one that has the most magical power. Parvati would be the other choice, but we need her to lead us, she's the one that handles the maps better."

Severus nodded; he had already thought the same. Looking closely at his former student, he saw something in his eyes that made him frown. "You're worried. Why?"

Harry laughed quietly. "It's nothing, I'm just being an idiot."

Snape shook his head. "You don't usually get worried about stupid things, Harry."

Knowing that his professor wasn't going to drop the subject, Harry gave in. "I just don't feel to comfortable about travelling around the forest while being out of it. I told you it's stupid."

Severus looked at him with something akin to understanding in his eyes. "It's not stupid, Harry. We all know that you have a hard time trusting other people with your safety and that it's hard for you to leave someone else in charge of things."

Harry shrugged. "Yes, I know, but I have to get over that. I know you're all capable to take care of yourselves and that you don't need me hovering over your shoulders, but it still doesn't feel right."

The teen stood up from his position and stretched his tired limbs. "Let's go to bed, Professor. There's not much more to talk about."

Snape didn't move. "You'll have to trust us, Harry."

The teen turned to face them. "I know, and even if you don't realise it, I trust all of you more than I've ever trusted anyone, else I wouldn't even have considered the possibility to travel already."

Those words seemed to pacify the man, and they both gathered their things and headed to their own rooms, knowing it would be one of the last days they would sleep in there.

To be continued...

_**A/N**: Thanks for all reviews, and thanks to my beta reader Vinnie and to Leena._


	21. The Journey

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Forest of Mystery.  
  
Harry frowned as he slowly regained consciousness. He was feeling incredibly tired and didn't really want to wake up, but the weird situation was bothering him too much for him to be able to continue with his peaceful slumber. His sleepy mind slowly started to register what was wrong. The problem that had forced him to awake was that he was moving. He could feel his body being jolted up and down ever so slightly. And while not uncomfortable, he knew he shouldn't be moving while asleep. As his mind awakened, he started to notice other things that were out of place. First of all, he was not lying on something flat, instead he felt more like floating, but that wasn't right either. Slowly, he realised that something was holding him up by his back and knees. His head was leaning against something soft and warm, and now that he was more aware of his surroundings, he could hear the rustle of leaves as they moved. Finally, his mind seemed to catch up with his situation. It seemed that someone was carrying him and that they were moving through the forest. Slowly, he started to remember how he had been forced to shrink their things so that they could get a move and start looking for a way out of the Forest.  
  
Severus, who, until now, had been carrying a completely limp Harry, suddenly felt some movement coming from his charge. Looking down at the body resting in his arms, he saw that the teen's eyes had opened slightly and that he was looking around groggily. Looking up again, he raised his voice so that the two teens walking in front of the group would hear him.  
  
"Ron, Dean, stop. Harry's coming around."  
  
As one, everyone turned to look at him as he gently lowered his charge onto the leaf-covered floor. The firm ground under him seemed to wake Harry up more and he finally opened his eyes fully. Before he even had the chance to ask where they were, he had Hermione at his side, checking him over. Severus and Neville joined the girl in her efforts to determine the condition in which Harry was in while the others got ready to eat some lunch. It was a bit early to stop since it was a bit over mid-morning, but they jointly decided that taking care of Harry was their first priority as they had all been worried about all the magic the teen had had to perform.  
  
When the three appointed healers were finished looking over him, Harry leant back against a tree and surveyed his friends.  
  
"How long have we been travelling?"  
  
The teens sat in front of him forming a circle while Snape stood at one side leaning against a tree. Seamus was the first to answer after sharing a look with the others. "It's been three days, Harry. We were starting to get worried that you'd really overdone it."  
  
The teen whistled softly. The other times he or one of his friends had had to do magic they had only been out of it for a few hours at most. "Well, sorry for worrying you."  
  
The other teens looked at him incredulously, but before any of them could speak, the professor's strong voice interrupted. "Don't say nonsense, Harry, it was hardly your fault. We all should have known it was a bit much."  
  
For a moment, it seemed like Harry was about to argue but then he thought better of it. Judging by the faces of his friends, they all agreed with the Potions Master so there really was no sense in arguing. Turning to Parvati, he asked how the maps were going.  
  
The girl smiled lightly and took them out of her pocket where she had kept them while they walked.  
  
"It's going better than expected, Harry. The fact that we're able to see the portals is very useful. The only problem is that we can't always know for sure if we've passed through someplace we've already been in. While some places are really obvious like that large lake or the mountains, the others always look the same to us. The only thing we've been able to come up with to mark the path we're taking is to leave something from us just in front of the portal. We have a list that helps us keep up with what we place in each portal, but it takes time to figure out since we've been through many of them."  
  
Harry nodded in understanding. He hadn't thought about that problem before but it was obvious someone had, or else that they had found the easiest solution to the problem themselves. He silently berated himself; he really should know better that to think the group would be defenceless without him. Severus, being the only one that was looking at him intently at the time, noticed the frown that marred the young face and stored the information for later, when he would have a chance to talk to the teen about what was troubling him.  
  
The tall man was pulled out of his thoughts when the other teens started to move. It had become routine over their travelling days that a few of them would go gather wood while the others took care of making something to eat. When he had first tried to help them, they had immediately refused, telling him he was doing more than his share of work by carrying Harry most of the time. The older man hadn't been able to convince them otherwise, but in the end, he just decided he would guard the unconscious teen while the others rummaged through their improvised campsite. This time, it was no different as he watched Harry intently, seeing the tired look in the green eyes. Slowly, he left his position by the tree and went to sit down next to the teen, who was by now leaning tiredly against the tree.  
  
Harry looked up as he heard movement at his side. He smiled a bit when he saw the man sit down next to him and, almost without meaning, to he moved to lean his head on the strong shoulder. Severus looked down at the dark head and frowned a bit.  
  
"I know you're tired, but try to stay awake, at least for a little bit. You need to eat something."  
  
The teen opened his eyes again, barely realising that he had closed them before. Yawning, he watched as the other teens slowly returned at their side and gave them their food. A few minutes after he had eaten, Harry had fallen back into a peaceful sleep while the other teens and their teacher decided in which direction they should walk.  
  
ooo000ooo Ron and Seamus cursed softly. They were walking in front of the group and were the first that saw the approaching danger. Without a second thought, both drew out their knives, alerting the others that something was wrong. Lavender and Dean immediately moved in front of Snape, while Neville and Hermione stood at either side of him. Parvati, after having put the map away, walked towards the two taller boys to see what had disrupted them. She narrowed her eyes at the lion-like creature looking at them menacingly. The bright red eyes that shone from the dark black fur send shivers down her spine. Slowly, trying not to startle the creature, she stepped back towards the professor and the rest of the group. Once at Hermione's side, she whispered softly.  
  
"There's a Diablo a few meters away, this is not looking very nice."  
  
Lavender squeaked softly. They had only seen that creature once, and Hermione had been the one to name it Diablo because of its appearance. They knew that Diablos were very quick hunters when they put their minds to it, but luckily for them, they didn't seem too fond of chasing humans. The last time they had encountered one, they had managed to get away from the huge creature with only a few scratches and that was because of the intervention of the girions. Unfortunately for them, the girions weren't around right now; they had allowed them to wander freely, sure in the knowledge that the animals always managed to get back to them. Now Hermione regretted their choice. She wasn't sure if they could really have managed to keep them with them against their will, since they hadn't taught them that, but they should have tried.  
  
Somehow sensing that they had stopped, Harry woke up and looked up to his teacher. Seeing his worried frown he spoke, keeping his voice low out of instinct.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
The older man looked down at him, a bit startled to see him awake. "You're supposed to be sleeping."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow at the man, but waited patiently for an answer. Seeing he was not going to get the boy to go to sleep again, the professor shook his head lightly. "There's a Diablo up ahead."  
  
Harry's eyes widened and he struggled a bit in the man's arms. "Put me down."  
  
Snape frowned and tightened his grip on the thin form. "I don't think so; you're in no shape to run or defend yourself if we need to. Right now, the Diablo isn't doing anything and there's not guarantee that he will, so settle back."  
  
Harry frowned, ready to argue, but a dark look coming from the older man made him shut up and he tried to relax. His mind was trying to think on something he could do. He was aware that any sudden movement from their part might make the Diablo attack them so they couldn't risk to just leave; they would need to keep an eye on the huge beast. Suddenly, remembering something, he softly started to whistle a tune, hoping it would work.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to Vinnie for her wonderful beta- reading. 


	22. Doubts

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters._

**Forest of Mystery**.

When they heard the soft whistling, the teenagers standing around Snape turned around to look at Harry with a frown on their face. The sound was very soft, but in the deep silence of the forest, it seemed to encompass everything else. Before any of them could ask Harry to stop making so much noise, Parvati saw some movement from the bushes. Turning around to look at them, she could barely believe her eyes when a very large snake appeared. Behind it, several other snakes started to appear and come closer to them; the other teenagers, who had also noticed the reptiles, glanced nervously at Harry, guessing he was the one calling them. Finally, when two winged snakes appeared, the teen lying in Snape's arms stopped whistling and started to hiss instead.

'Thankssssss for coming to my call.'

One of the winged snakes approached him and curled upon his chest. Snape tightened his grip on the teen but otherwise didn't move. The snake cocked his head and started hissing. 'We told you to call usssssss if you needed usssssss. Why have you called usssssss, human?'

Harry nodded very lightly, and with a heavy hand, he pointed to Seamus and Ron. 'There'ssssss a Diablo behind those two humanssssss, do you think you could sssssscare him away from ussssss; we don't want to have to fight him.'

If it were possible, Harry would have sworn that a grin appeared on the winged snake's face. 'I believe it would be our plesssssure.'

The snake turned to watch her companions as they started to move in the direction Harry had pointed out.

Ron and Seamus gave a startled yelp when they saw the snakes slithering past them and heading towards the huge beast, the small sound startled the animal, and he turned to watch them. For a second, both teens thought it was going to attack them and tightened their grip on their weapons. Luckily for them, the Diablo seemed to see the snakes and immediately started to back up. Not a second later the two winged snakes were flying at top speed after the Diablo, that was using the power of his mighty legs to run away as fast as possible.

After making sure that the beast had disappeared, Ron and Seamus walked back to their friend with stunned expressions. The red head was the first to break the silence. "What on earth was that?"

Hermione shrugged lightly and turned to watch Harry, who was still lying comfortably in Professor Snape's arms. "Harry?"

The teen smiled slightly at them. "There are a lot of snakes in this forest. In one of our food gathering journeys I stumbled along a nest of winged snakes. I was about to walk away when one of them started complaining that their mother hadn't returned in long while and that they were hungry. While snakes usually learn to fend for themselves, the winged snakes are dependant on their mother until their wings develop, and they're then able to leave their nest and hunt for themselves. I don't know what happened to the mother; some other animal probably killed her, but I decided to get the two little snakes some food. Their nest was not far from our caves so I went there once or twice a week and fed them. We became friends of a sort and when it was clear that they would be able to take care of themselves, they told me that I could call them if I needed them. It seems that the snakes around here are very sensitive to human whistle, and the little winged snakes made sure to tell all other snakes that my whistles would be a cry of help. It seems winged snakes are high upon the hierarchy of all snakes so they tend to listen to them."

Dean shrugged. "That's all nice and well, but how did you know the Diablo would flee from them? I would think such a huge beast wouldn't be afraid of those little snakes."

Harry smirked lightly. "I wasn't very sure, but from my talks with the snakes, most animals are terrified of them. They are extremely poisonous and with them being so small, they are difficult for those huge beasts, as you call them, to kill. Ion himself wouldn't come close to the nest, no matter how much I tried."

The teen looked up to his professor who was just rolling his eyes. When the man saw the questioning look, he just shook his head. "You and your luck."

The other teens laughed while Harry scowled lightly up at him. "Be happy I'm so lucky; it avoids lots of problems."

Snape smirked down at him but nodded lightly, knowing that things could have gotten out of hand if they hadn't managed to scare the Diablo away. Instead of admitting it out loud, the teacher jostled the teen a bit, and settled him more comfortably in his arms. "We should get going; we don't want the Diablo to come back."

Everyone nodded and as soon as they could, they crossed one of the portals that would hopefully get them away from that area.

It had been nearly two months since they started travelling, and while they were uncovering more and more places of the large forest, it didn't seem like they would manage to find their way back. Harry looked into the fire as they rested in their camp. It was still early evening, but Seamus had fallen ill two days ago, and while the Irish boy insisted they could continue at a normal pace, it was obvious that the teen was struggling to keep up. Not even Ron and Dean's help were enough and in the end, Harry had called a stop. Seamus had protested, saying it was much too early, but Snape had quickly silenced his words and forced a sleeping potion down the teen's throat muttering about stupid little Gryffindors that wouldn't give up even when they knew they couldn't go on.

While Harry wouldn't admit it, he was glad to have an excuse to rest a bit. The journey had been taxing to all of them, but he had had the added struggle to replenish his magical levels, which even now, after nearly two months, didn't seem completely recovered, leaving him tired and weak at the end of the day. He didn't know if the other teens noticed his weariness; he certainly did everything he could to hid it, but he suspected that at least Snape had seen through his mask. Probably, the only reason the older man hadn't approached him about it was that he knew that Harry would probably talk his way out of resting anyway.

Suddenly, Harry felt someone sit next to him, and he looked up to see the object of his thoughts. The Potions Master looked at him intently and seeing the tired shadows under the teen's eyes and the slight tremble of exhaustion in his hands, he narrowed his eyes.

"You should go to sleep; you're completely exhausted, Harry."

The teen nodded but didn't move from his place in front of the fire. "Do you think we'll make it?"

Snape looked at him sharply, and his frown deepened. Until now, Harry had been the one reassuring them all that they would make it out alright; he had been the one comforting his friends when they started losing hope, it was his optimism that made them get up in the morning knowing that a long day of frustration awaited them. Looking closer at the boy, Severus only saw a tired child that just seemed to want to curl up and have a good cry. Cursing himself, he wrapped a long arm around the boy's shoulders. Why hadn't he noticed that the teen was crumbling? He should have expected it; he was just a boy like the others but it seemed he had managed to perfect his happy mask to the point that not even him, who was used to them, knew that the teen was starting to near the end of his strength. Gathering the teen to his side, he pulled him into a comforting hug. At first Harry resisted a bit, but then he just allowed himself to sink into Snape's robes, accepting the comfort the man seemed willing to offer.

The soft voice from his professor broke through his doubts. "I can't promise you we'll make it out soon, Harry, you know that as good as I do, but we will get out eventually."

Harry's muffled voice reached him. "It might not be good enough; Voldemort might have killed everyone and take control of the magical world by the time we get out."

The man nodded. "I know, Harry, but thinking about it will not get us out of here any faster. We're already pushing things, everyone is exhausted, especially you." Sighing, Snape suggested something that had been on his mind for a few days. "I know you won't like it, but I think we should stop for a few days."

The teen looked up sharply. "We can't stop now! We don't have any protection and we might be so close to find our way out..."

The man smiled a bit, it seemed that the teen hadn't lost all his hope. "Harry, this is one of the most protected places we've seen around here, and besides, everyone needs a break. Seamus is ill; it might take him a few days to get over it and strong enough to continue without trouble. You yourself are still recuperating from your magical lose; do you think I didn't notice how you were struggling? But you're just too stubborn to admit that you need to go a bit more slowly."

Harry couldn't help but smile lightly at the frustration coming from the other man. He knew the professor was right. Not only he and Seamus were in trouble. Harry could see the tired glint in the black eyes, and he knew that if his resilient professor was starting to show sings of tiredness, the other teens were probably in a worse state.

Sighing, he closed his eyes and leaned against the man. "I'll think about it."

Snape nodded, not very happy with that answer but knowing that that would be all the concessions the teen was willing to make.

The next day, Harry had no choice but to call a halt in their trip. Seamus' illness seemed to be infectious, and Snape and Hermione had fallen ill themselves.

_To be continued..._

_A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader Vinnie._


	23. Illness

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters._

**Forest of Mystery.**

Lavender gently rubbed the tall man's back as he continued to puck his guts out. She knew he would be unhappy with her once he had recovered enough to start throwing insults around, but she didn't care. No matter what the Potions Professor thought, they took care of each other and Snape was now one of them, no matter how snarky and illtempered he could be. Lavender looked up as a damp cloth came into her field of vision. Harry looked tired, he had deep lines of worry and exhaustion running through his face. The last days had been hectic, with Harry, Ron and Parvati securing their unexpected campment as good as possible while helping take care of the ill members of their group. They had all been tired, but Lavender knew Harry had not recovered yet from the magic he had used, so the effects of all their troubles were much more clear on the black haired teen.

"Lavender?"

The girl shook her head lightly, her thoughts once again getting the better of her, and she took the wet rag from Harry's hands. The Professor had finally stopped reching and was now trying to regain his breath. She gently pressed the cool cloth against his forehead before running it over his face, drying the sweat that had gathered there. The man looked at them with a small scowl. He was very pale and there were deep shadows under his eyes, so the effect of the glare was lessened.

"You shouldn't be wasting your time here, I'm fine, and the others need you more."

Lavender shook her head and was about to reply when Harry's sharp voice stopped her.

"The others need us just as much as you need us, no matter how much your stupid pride says you don't. You're ill and in no fit state to take care of yourself, so we're going to help you, like it or not. So if you really are worried about us wasting so much time with you, the only thing you can do about it is help us take care of you and stop bitting our heads off when we try to help."

Lavender couldn't help but stare at the usually soft spoken teen. While she knew that Harry was right, Snape had been being difficult, she hadn't expected such a harsh reply. By the stunned expression on the man's face, she knew she was not the only one that was surprised. With a bit of aprehension, she saw the black eyes narrow as they had once done in a potions classroom, just before Gryffindor lost a lot of points. She was expecting a harsh comeback, but was surprised when it didn't come, instead, she saw Snape's eyes narrow a bit more, it looked like he was observing Harry like he might have done to one of his potions ingredients. The tense silence lasted for a while, before Snape nodded.

"I'm sorry to cause you such trouble."

Harry's eyes softened, and he gripped the man under his elbow to help him stand up. "I'm sorry too, that was uncalled for."

Severus looked down at the teen he was leaning on, he looked even more tired than he had been a few days ago and he couldn't help but wonder if Harry himself had fallen ill. He was pale, and if Snape stayed very still, he could feel the small trembling coming from the boy he was leaning on.

Silently, he allowed both teens to led him to his makeshift bed. He was gently laid down on it and Lavender went to fetch him some water. Harry stayed with him for a moment, looking at him intently.

"Are you ok?"

Snape blinked and shrugged slightly. "As good as can be expected, I guess. I'm doing better than a few days ago." Harry nodded but didn't move to answer, so Snape took the chance to ask a few questions of his own. "How are the others feeling?"

Harry looked down at him. "Seamus is doing much better, he now stays up most of the time. Hermione..." Harry sighed. "She isn't doing very good, the potions Neville has been giving you don't seem to be as effective in her case."

Snape frowned, he could hear the worry and fear comming from the teen, it must be bad for him to look so distressed. Once Lavender was back at his side with the water, Harry wandered away. The girl was about to follow her when he called her back.

"Lavender."

The teen blinked and turned to watch him. "Yes? Do you need something else?"

Snape shook his head lightly. "Is Hermione really so bad off?"

Lavender lowered her head and nodded. "She has lost a lot of weight, she can't keep anything down, not even water. Ron and Dean don't leave her side, they try getting water into her by moistening her lips continuously, but while that helps a bit, they don't get much into her. She has a high fever and we have to bathe her frequently to keep it under control. Neville and Harry are trying to come up with a potion that will help her, but while they've got much better at it, they still haven't come up with anything."

Snape frowned and extended a hand to her. "Help me up."

Lavender blinked. "But Professor, you're ill!"

The man scowled at her. "I may be ill, but I'm still a Potions Master. Besides, I'm not so sure Harry is not ill too, he was trembling before and he looks like hell."

Lavender sighed and helped him up, knowing he was right. Although his comment about Harry worried her, she had noticed that the other teen looked bad, but she had not wanted to think about the implications, prefering to think he was merely exhausted. Slowly, they headed towards their improuto potions lab. Harry was there, bending over one of the cauldrons while Neville searched through his herb bag. They both looked up and frowned just at the same time.

"You should be in bed, Professor."

The man glared at Harry and with a swift movement he placed a hand on his forehead. He wasn't surprised to feel the warmth coming from it just before the teen jerked back. "So should you, Mister Potter."

Harry bowed his head, trying to ignore the acusing looks coming from his friends. "I'm needed here."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "It seems that so am I, or have you forgotten that I am a Potions Master and that if you're going to create something to help Hermione I might do it much more quickly that you do."

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but concern over his friend won out. He knew Snape was right, she needed a potion and she needed it soon. And while Neville and him had done what they could, it was time to allow someone that really knew what he was doing to try.

Silently, the three of them started to work, with Snape sharply ordering them around. Neville had told him what they had tried to do, but Snape seemed to think a few of the ingredients used might react badly with girls' hormones. After a lengthy lecture about the troubles some ingredients caused to girls, they were able to make a potion that Snape was nearly sure would help the girl.

While Neville went to deliever the potion, Snape started on another one, with Harry silently working at his side. The man seemed to think Hermione might need a nutrient potion with stomach settling aditives so she could take while the other potion didn't take full effect.

Once they were finished, and Hermione had drowned the potions without a reverse reaction to them, Snape took Harry firmly by his arm and dragged him to where their beds were. Not minding the teen's protests, he shoed Ion away and forced the teen to lay down.

"Professor..."

The man scowled. "No arguments, you are ill and you're entitled to rest just like anyone else here."

"But..."

"No buts, you're ill, and as you reminded me just a few hours ago, we take care of ill people, so no more arguments, close your eyes and go to sleep. I'm sure one of the others will bring you your potion when you need it."

Without another word the man went to his own bed, that had been conveniently placed next to Harry's and laid on his side, black eyes staring intently at the teen.

Harry sighed softly, knowing the man wasn't going to relent. Laying there, comforted by the blankets tightly tucked around him and by Ion that had settled once again at his side, Harry couldn't fight drowsiness anymore.

Snape watched silently as Harry finally fell asleep, he hopped they would get out of the Forest soon, else the teen might not make it without breaking down. Pushing those thoughts away, he closed his own eyes, intent on sleeping a few hours on his own before the nausea set in again.

_To be continued..._

_A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie._


	24. The silver portal

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters._

**Forest of Mystery.**

Neville rushed back to the campsite, running as fast as he was able through the dense foliage that surrounded him. He had been gathering some herbs when he saw it.

Panting, he arrived and immediately went to Harry's bed. It had been a few days since Snape had forced the other teen to admit that he was ill too, and while he was not completely healed yet, Harry was doing much better, and Neville didn't think he should tell anyone but Harry first, there was no sense giving them false hope if it was nothing.

Once he reached Harry, he saw that Snape was sitting at his side, and they were talking quietly. They both looked up when they heard him walk closer. Harry frowned at the flustered look on his friend's face.

"What's wrong, Neville? Did you have problems?"

Neville shook his head and sat down next to the bed Harry was lying in. "It's probably nothing."

Both Snape and Harry raised an eyebrow just at the same time, making a smile appear on the youth's face. "Mr. Longbottom, whatever it is that has made you rush back here must be important, or you wouldn't have come directly to Harry, would you?"

Rolling his eyes lightly, Neville nodded. "I think it might be important, but I don't know what it means." Before one of the two sitting in front of him got impatient, he continued. "As you know, I went to look for a few more herbs since we have a low supply of some of those we need for Hermione. I was about to head back when I entered a clearing, and I saw it."

Severus scowled lightly. "Saw what?"

The teen turned towards him. "A portal." He raised his hand to stop their comments. "It's not like the other portals; this one is huge, and it's completely white, nearly silver instead of yellow. I didn't dare to go through it, so I came back to warn you. What should we do?"

Snape and Harry exchanged an intense look, both trying to fight down the hope that threatened to overwhelm them. Harry made to sit up, but Snape firmly pushed him back.

"You're still not well; we don't need you fainting halfway." Harry glared slightly but he knew the other man wasn't going to relent on this point; he had become way too overprotective of him. Severus stood up and motioned Neville to follow him. "Come on, Neville, show me where it is."

The teen nodded and followed the man back into the forest. Thinking twice about it, Snape turned around. "Seamus!"

The teen looked up from where he had been helping Parvati make breakfast. "Yes?"

"Neville and I need you to come with us, there's something we need to check out."

The teen frowned, but followed them without a word. Once they away from the others, Neville explained once again what he had seen while he swiftly led them back to the clearing, using the marks he had left around to guide himself. It took them twenty minutes to reach the spot, and both, Severus and Seamus inhaled sharply when they saw it. It certainly was different from the other portals; this one was nearly blinding in it's intensity, and it was much larger. Snape looked around, it was almost like a barrier more than a portal, as it extended for a few meters around them.

Seamus spoke in a whisper, his voice strangled by emotion. "Do... do you think it's the way out?"

Neville opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it. Snape also didn't seem able to utter a sound, so he had to settle on nodding lightly. Finally, after a few moments, he managed to fight the emotion down and spoke. "It might be; it's wide enough to explain why so many people get lost and why you managed to arrive together. At first I thought there might be several portals, but that didn't make much sense, as surely you wouldn't have all crossed the same one. But this..."

Seamus nodded, that was one of the many things they had been puzzling about, how had they all managed to enter the forest through the same portal? This explained it. Breathing deeply, he tried to get a hold of his emotions. "We should check it out, we need to be sure."

Both Snape and Neville nodded. "How?"

Snape extended his hands to the two teens. "Take hold of me, I'm going to cross it and look around, when I squeeze your hands, pull me back."

Seamus nodded lightly, but frowned a bit. "Why do you need us to hold you?"

Severus looked at him intently. "We've been in a none magical ambient for a very long time, I have no idea how much it might affect us to suddenly get in contact with magic again. I would feel safer if you could take me back in if things get too much for me to do it on my own." Looking at them intently, he gave them one of his strange smiles. "We are in this together; when we get out, we'll do it together."

Seamus and Neville returned his smile and firmly took hold of his hands and arms. Once he was sure the two teens were holding him tightly, Snape walked closer to the portal, allowing his arms to fall back. With a last long look to the two teens, he leaned forward, trusting that the two teens would hold him while he stuck half his body through the portal.

The effect was immediate; he nearly couldn't breath due to the heavy magic hanging around the place. Ignoring the rush of magic trying to replenish his depleted reserves, he looked around and his gaze met the most beautiful sight he could remember. Just as he was watching, the red engine of the Hogwarts Express passed in front of him followed by the whole train, probably on it's way to Hogsmeade. Severus couldn't help but watch, mesmerized as it rushed in front of him, the sound playing in his ears like the sweetest music. Finally, once it had passed and the magic was starting to get too much, he remembered where he was, and he gently squeezed the hands still holding him.

Snape nearly cried out when he felt the magic leave him once again as he was pushed back into the forest. He allowed himself to fall to the ground, trying to gather his breath as longing and deep relief ran through him. He had always wanted to believe Harry in the fact that they would be returning, but there always had remained some doubt. Now he had proof; they were nearly there, their journey was nearly at its end. Finally noticing the hands shaking him, he looked up to Seamus' concerned eyes and he wasn't able to fight down the brilliant smile that graced his usual stern face. Neville's soft voice shattered the tense silence

"Is it..."

Severus, understanding that the teen didn't dare to voice his thought out loud nodded sharply, his smile brightening even more. "It is, Neville, this is the portal back."

Severus suddenly felt himself enveloped in a tight hug as Seamus launched himself into his arms while Neville allowed himself to fall back into the moist ground, crying and laughing at the same time. After a few minutes, Severus managed to regain a hold of his emotions, and with a small smile, he pushed Seamus up with him and held a hand towards Neville, who took it without hesitating, allowing himself to be helped up while tears still ran down his face.

Snape's soothing voice helped them gather themselves. "Come on, we need to get back to the others; I don't want to stay in this Forest a minute longer than necessary."

Both teens agreed and together, they rushed back to the campsite, silly grins still on their faces. They were approaching when Severus stopped them and took a deep breath. "Slow down, I think Harry has the right to be the first one to know. We don't need to cause a commotion; it is going to be difficult enough to keep calm enough to gather all our things before we give into temptation and rush out of this place."

Seamus and Neville nodded in agreement, knowing how the Potions Master felt as walk from the portal had been difficult at least. A minute later, they stepped into the campsite and immediately went to Harry. The others sensed there was something going on, so they came closer, even Hermione came, being supported by Ron and Dean. Snape knelt down in front of Harry who was watching him closely.

"Well?"

Severus grinned. "I never thought I would say this, but the Hogwarts Express is one of the most beautiful things I've seen in a long time."

Harry's tense face slowly went to shock and then to joy as tears started to gather in his bright eyes. For the second time that day, Severus found he had a teen in his arms, and just as he had done with Seamus, he hugged Harry back with all his strength, reassuring him that he was indeed serious and that they were about to leave this Forest.

Realisation seemed to set in, as the others slowly came a bit closer. Ron's shaking voice drew their attention to the others.

"Do you mean that you've found the way back?"

His voice broke near the end, trying to contain the hope that was starting to run through him. Hermione seemed to cling to him as they waited their answer. Snape smiled at them softly, still holding Harry close to him. "Yes, Neville found the portal back."

The reaction was immediate. Parvati shrieked and tackled Neville to the ground. Hermione and Ron hugged tightly, crying on each other's shoulders while Lavender sank to the ground a stunned expression on her face. Dean was smiling brightly at everyone, his mind still trying to process what was being said. Seamus, who had remained to one side, smiled softly and looked towards the three Girions that had been alerted by their strange behaviour and were looking at them. Looking around, the teen took a deep breath; they were finally going home and for a moment, he could appreciate just how beautiful this Forest was, as long as you weren't trapped in it, of course.

_To be continued..._

_A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to Vinnie for beta-reading this._


	25. Leaving the Forest

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters._

**Forest of Mystery**

The preparations for their return to the outside world took less time than they had thought it would. They still had most of their things packed in the shrunken trunks so they only had to take the bags in which they had been carrying their basic necessities around. Everyone was in a hurry to leave, and even Harry and Hermione, still not fully recovered from their illness, were rushing around, despite the admonishing words from their companions. On their trip back to the portal, Neville led them to gather as much plants as they could, since it would be the last time they got the chance to do so. The girions followed them, curiously looking at what they did. Lavender looked at them sadly, knowing they would probably not follow them to the outside world, and also fearing the consequences of them doing so. Snape had told them the rush of magic he had felt when he had been outside for a few moments. How much worse would it be for the girions, who had grown up in the restricted magical Forest.

The portal was really awesome; Harry watched it with a sense of dread and excitement. For so long he had been hoping this time would come that he could barely believe it was here.

Snape turned to watch them. "This is it, we'll be finally free once we cross this portal. Are you ready?"

Ron shrugged. "Who knows, we'll have to be since I have no wish to remain here any longer then necessary."

They all smiled at the redhead's words, and slowly they each took the hands of their partners. They were going to leave together.

Harry turned around a bit and looked at Ion. He had been his most loyal companion in the long winter months, and he couldn't help the feeling of loss rushing through him.

Seamus pulled them all out of their musings by taking a step forward. "Ready?"

Severus took a deep breath and squeezed Harry's hand, who was standing at his left. "Get ready for the magic rush; it might overwhelm you."

The teen nodded, knowing his and Parvati's reserves were the ones that had suffered the most. Taking a deep breath he also took a step forward, and as one, everyone followed. Step after step they reached the portal and after sharing a look and glancing back to the Forest for the last time, they went through.

The rush of magic was just as intense as Snape had said it would be. Harry could barely breathe due to the magic running through him. He would have collapsed if Snape and Dean hadn't been holding onto him. Luckily, Snape was quick and caught him in his arms while Dean let go of his hand, trying to cope with the magic running through his own body. They all sat down on the ground, Hermione trembling and leaning against Seamus as her tired body tried to process the fact that it had magic once again.

After a few minutes, Snape gave Harry over to Neville, who seemed to be the most recovered from the group and took out his wand. They couldn't stay in the open like that, he didn't know what was going on in the world right now, and what Voldemort was up to, but nevertheless, they needed to reach somewhere safe, and he knew just the place.

Standing up on shaking legs, Snape took a branch lying there and pointed his wand firmly to it. Softly he whispered: "Portus" and the feeling of the magic running through his body and to his wand was nearly enough to send him to his knees. A hand came to support him, and he saw Lavender standing next to him.

"Are you ok, Professor?"

Severus nodded slightly. "I'm fine; it just is strange, so much magic running through me without difficulty. I'm afraid we'll have to work on our control."

Lavender nodded but didn't comment; instead, she focused her attention to the branch. "What did you do to it?"

Snape looked down and then smiled slightly. "I've made a portkey. I don't know about you, but I want to get as far away from here as possible. Not to mention that a warm bath, something to eat, and a soft bed is sounding more than tempting."

He knew that the girl agreed when her expression turned to wishful and she turned to warn the others. Slowly, standing more or less steadily, they all gathered around Severus, who extended the branch so everyone could touch it. Without even asking where they were going, the teens extended their hands and they were about to touch it when the sound of rushing pawns stopped them. Turning around to watch the portal, they saw the three girions running to them, seemingly unconcerned by the high magical levels surrounding them. The group greeted them happily, and after Snape reassured them that they could take them along, they finally touched the portkey.

With a soft pop, they reappeared just in front of a large manor. The teens looked in awe at the huge building and nearly as one they turned around to look at their professor, questions clear in their eyes.

Smirking, the man stepped in front of them and headed to the door. "Welcome to Snape Manor."

Ron choked. "This is your house? Merlin, it's huge!"

Severus laughed softly and pushed the doors open. "Yes, well, a few members of my family seemed to have an inferiority complex, and they spent most their money building this thing. I don't stay here much; it's too large to live here on my own, but it's very well protected, and it's going to suit our needs."

As soon as they stepped into the huge hall, several pops sounded, making the teens scramble to get to their weapons before they realised there wasn't any danger, and only a few house-elves had appeared. Snape frowned at them lightly, they would have to work on that; the teens could hardly keep drawing their weapons at the slightest sound, not to mention that if they had to draw something, it might as well be their wands, not their knives.

"Master Severus is back!"

Snape smiled down at the little creatures. They had been in the family for many years and for lack of friends, he had grown up with them.

"I'm glad to be back." Turning to the teens, he nodded to them. "These are our guests; I need you to arrange rooms for them."

Two elves immediately nodded and with a: "yes, Master" they disappeared. Turning to the other three elves, Snape started to order them around. "Twinky, I need you to draw warm baths for each of us; I dare say we'll need them. Nancy, I need you to look for clothes that will be suitable for each of them, then go to the kitchen and order them to cook a feast for us. Dodly, there are three girions waiting outside, go give them some food. Don't worry, they are well trained."

The three elves nodded and disappeared to comply with his wishes. With a sigh, Severus looked towards the teenagers, noticing how pale and tired they looked. The rush of magic had taken a lot out of them all, he himself was feeling like he could sleep for days, but he needed to take care of their basic needs first. Silently, he moved to help Ron support Hermione, and then, without a word, he started to lead them up the stairs. The two house-elves that had been send to get the rooms ready, reappeared at their side and quickly showed them their rooms. Snape was pleased to see they had used part of the family wing; they were all close to his own rooms. Curious how much he considered them family now.

Hermione entered her room, helped by one of the house-elves. Peppy was its name, and Snape had ordered him to take care of her since she was still weak. A long time ago, she might have protested about this, thinking that house-elves should have more rights, but now she was just grateful that Peppy was there to help her. Silently, she undressed, not minding that the creature was still in the bathroom with her, and with a deep sigh she sank into the huge tub of warm water. Hermione could barely contain her tears as she felt the warm water envelope her, it had been so long since she had had such a simple pleasure. Closing her eyes, she leaned back against one of the sides and decided she wasn't going to move any time soon.

Most of her friends seemed to have similar thoughts, because it wasn't until nearly three hours later when they got together in the common room of the family wing. They were all dressed in soft, silk pyjamas and warm bathrobes. It didn't matter that it was summer, even if it was ending; the comfort they drew from the clothes was enough to compensate the warmth from them. Once Severus entered the room, the food appeared on the large table, making their mouths water. Without waiting for invitation, they all sat down and started to eat as if they hadn't eaten in years, so desperate were they to once again savour the food they had so missed while in the Forest.

Finally, once finished, they slowly drifted apart, intend on getting a good nights sleep before they needed to decide what to do.

_A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta-reader Vinnie. For those of you that don't read Web of Lies, several issues came up and I want to have the answer to two questions:_

_1.- Should I make chapters longer (that would mean for me to keep writing as I have but just post the chapters two at a time, making the waiting time longer)_

_2.- Should I answer your reviews (I suspect it wouldn't be that bad here, but I just did it for my last chapter of web of lies and the answer to the reviews was longer than the actual chapter, not to mention that it took me more than an hour to do so.)_

_Hope to have your opinion on those questions. Hugs, Star Polaris._


	26. Messages

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters._

_Forest of Mystery_

Without opening his eyes, Harry relished in the comfort coming from the blankets tucked around him. He had the feeling that he had been asleep for a long time, but for once, he didn't care. It had been a long time since he felt so well, the magic humming around him was comforting and soothed his still tired body. Suddenly he felt a hand rest on his forehead; it was cool and gentle, but it was compelling him to wake up.

"Come on, Harry, you've been asleep for nearly three days; you need to get up long enough to eat something."

Finally, the teen allowed the voice to wake him, and he opened his eyes. He wasn't very surprised to see Snape sitting on the bed next to him; the man had taken it upon himself to take care of him during the trip, and he was happy to see him seemed willing to continue with that role.

"Ah, finally, Sleeping Beauty awakens."

The gentle teasing brought a smile to his lips. "Have I really been sleeping that long?"

The man nodded. "Yes, you have, but don't worry about it; I slept for about two days and the others were not much different. I guess we had to adapt to magic once again. How are you feeling?"

Harry stretched and finally sat up, leaning against the wall. "Better than I have in a long while. You?"

Severus smiled at him. "I'm fine too, it's a relief to be back here."

The teen nodded and watched fondly as Ion, who had been resting at the end of his bed, started to clean his fur with quick strokes of his tongue. "How are the others doing?"

"Everyone's fine; Parvati and you were the only ones still sleeping so we decided to wake you up. We need to think about what we're going to do now. Dumbledore needs to know we're still alive and action needs to be taken against Voldemort."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Have you found out what has been going on?"

Snape shrugged lightly. "I've tried, but there isn't much information in the Daily Prophet. There have been several attacks, but it seems that so far the Order and the Ministry have been able to keep Voldemort in line. I've written a letter to Dumbledore, and I'm going to send it the way that the Order usually does it. Hopefully it will convince the old man that it's really me and not some impostor."

Harry looked thoughtfully. "Have you told him about us?"

The Potions Master shook his head. "No, I thought it better not to do that yet. He probably doesn't know what happened to me since my discovery as a spy was unexpected, but he knows I had ways to leave the Death Eaters should such a thing happen. I think it might be much more believable to know that I escaped than to know that the nine of us are alive after about a year in the Forest."

Harry nodded. "Probably right. Are you going to invite him here?"

Severus nodded in reply. "There's no sense in allowing anyone to see us at Hogwarts. Albus knows of this place and how to reach it; I expect him here with a few Order members by the end of the day. At least, if he believes my letter."

Without giving the teen the chance to reply, the older man stood up. "Come on, get dressed; lunch is waiting for us in the common room. I'm going to send the letter."

Harry watched with a small smile as the man left his room. He was glad to see that the Potions Master wasn't back to being a bastard he had been half afraid that would be the case, but it seemed they were lucky.

Meanwhile, at Hogwarts, an old man sat in his office petting his beautiful Phoenix. The years had started to get heavier on his frail shoulders, and he didn't know how much longer he would be able to keep up with everything going on. The children's disappearance had been a great loss to their side and people had started losing hope. The disappearance later of their only spy had also been a heavy blow. While they had managed to get a new spy in Voldemort's inner circle, the loss of Severus still rested heavy on the man's conscience. He had known that Voldemort distrusted him, but even so, he had sent Severus back.

A soft knock on the door startled him from his pained thoughts. Looking up, he saw Minerva standing there, a worried frown on her face.

"Albus, it's time for lunch."

The old man nodded but didn't move to get up. He was so tired. Suddenly, a soft pop ran through the silent office, and Dumbledore watched a letter appear in front of him. Knowing it was from one of the Order members and that it was probably important, he took the letter in his hands, dreading the message it contained. Minerva quietly closed the door behind her and went to sit in front of the old man, trying to offer him all the help she could.

Swiftly, Dumbledore opened the letter and nearly dropped it as he recognised the handwriting. Feeling himself grow pale, he quickly read through the short message, trying to control the tremble in his hands.

_Albus,_

_As you have probably heard by now, Malfoy discovered me as a spy several months ago. I don't know if you are aware of my punishment; suffice to say, it wasn't as deadly as Voldemort would have liked it to be. I apologise for not getting in contact with you before, but it was impossible for me to do so. I'm back to my manor now, and I would appreciate it if you could come by to talk. I have no wish to go to Hogwarts since I think that my supposed death can be used against Voldemort. _

_I realise this could be viewed as a trap; that's why I used this way to get the letter to you. Bring with you as many people as you wish, I don't mind; I only ask that the ones who come with you are trustful._

_I hope to see you soon,_

_S.S._

Taking a deep breath, Dumbledore lowered the letter. Could it be true? Could Severus really be alive? The transportation method was attuned to each member personally, and only a few of the most important members were attuned to his own office. The only one missing was Severus and since he knew that no one else would do something like this as a joke, he couldn't deny the fact that the dark-haired potions master was alive. A smile started to blossom on his face as hope grew in his old heart.

Minerva, who had been watching him worriedly until now, was startled to see that smile. It had been a very long time since she had seen it.

"Albus?"

The old man looked at her, blue eyes shinning brightly, overriding the shadows that had settled in his eyes.

"Severus. Severus is alive."

Minerva gapped at him in shock, barely willing to believe his words. Then a smile started to blossom in her own face. "Really? Are you sure?"

Dumbledore laughed softly. "Nearly, the letter is from him, no doubt about that, so unless he sent it from his grave, Severus is alive."

The woman frowned. "Why didn't he get in touch with us before this."

The old man shrugged, a frown growing once again on his face. "Who knows what Voldemort did to him. I'm still amazed to know that he's alive. He says he's in his manor and we're welcome to join him there."

"Why doesn't he come here?"

Albus' eyes twinkled at her as he stood up. "I guess he wants to keep his advantage; after all, Voldemort won't take him into account if he thinks that he's dead."

The woman laughed softly. "You have a point there."

Dumbledore approached the fireplace and threw a bit of floo powder. Madam Pomfrey's face appeared in the fireplace, a concerned frown marring her features.

"Is there something wrong, Albus?"

The old man shrugged slightly. "I'm not sure, Poppy. I need you to come with Minerva and me; be ready to heal injuries as we don't know what we'll find once we're there."

The woman looked at him curiously but nodded, grumbling under her breath about his stupid fondness for cryptic messages.

The old man stood in front of the fireplace for a moment before throwing another pinch of floo.

"The Burrow!"

Molly's face appeared in the fireplace. "Albus, is everything ok? Is something wrong with Ginny?"

Since Ron's disappearance, the poor woman lived in constant fear that someone else in her family would be hurt. The old headmaster quickly reassured her that her youngest daughter was doing fine and asked to speak with Bill. The young man had move back to England to help his family and was now one of the most trusted members of the Order.

"Headmaster?"

"Hello, Bill, how are you doing?"

The young man smiled at his mentor. "I'm fine, Mum said you wanted to speak with me?"

"I would appreciate it if you came to Hogwarts. I need you to come with Minerva, Poppy, and me to check on something." Seeing his concerned face, he rushed to reassure him. "I'm nearly sure it's nothing dangerous; in fact, I think it going to be something very good, but one can't be careful enough these days."

The younger wizard nodded curiously, and after confirming that he would be there in a few minutes he broke the connection. Albus turned around and went to one of his cupboards. After roaming in there for a few moments, he turned back with a black box in his hands.

Minerva looked at him curiously. "What's that, Albus?"

The old man sat back in his chair. "It's a portkey to Snape Manor. Severus gave it to me a long time ago in case something happened to him and I needed a safe place to use. The manor is huge and it's extremely well protected. Not to mention that to my knowledge, no Death Eaters know about its existence."

Before Minerva had the chance to reply, the door opened and Poppy entered, followed closely by Bill.

_To be continued..._

A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to Vinnie for beta reading it.


	27. News

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery.

Once he had quickly explained where they were going, Dumbledore took out the portkey and watched as everyone took hold of it. With a soft pop, they reappeared in front of the huge mansion. The old man had been there only once, when Severus had keyed the portkey to his magical signature so no one else could use the portkey if Dumbledore wasn't there. Silently, the four wizards made their way to the door. Before they had the chance to knock, a house elf opened the door and ushered them inside.

"Master Severus is waiting for you in the Family common room, Pepy will led you there."

Snape had been warned the moment that the portkey was activated, and he ushered the teens away. There was no need to shock the old man into a cardiac arrest at seeing them there first thing. Luckily, the teens understood and willingly went away after forcing him to promise that he would warn them as soon as it was safe for them to come out.

After sending Pepy to fetch their guests, Severus went to stand in front of one of the huge windows, trying to prepare himself for the confrontation that was sure to take place. Sooner than he would have liked, the door to the hall opened and he turned around to watch his guests enter. His eyes fell on Albus, and he had to fight to hide the shock at seeing the frail old man. Never had he seen him looking so weak; this just showed how much the last few months had taken out of the strong wizard. His gaze moved to Minerva. The woman was also showing signs of tiredness, her once sharp eyes were now troubled, and no doubt she had taken her share of pain in trying to help Albus along. Poppy was just as he remembered her; being the healer she was, she managed to hide her own feelings and stay strong in front of others. She had grown older, but there was nothing to show how much the war was affecting her. And last but certainly not least, Ron's oldest brother. He had grown up since the last time he had seen him, he was much stronger than he remembered, but maybe that information came from his now enhanced senses.

Severus was aware that the others were studying him just as intently as he was, trying to determine if it was really him and how much his betrayal had cost him. Finally, Dumbledore took a step forward and lightly extended his arms, probably wanting to hug him but not daring, remembering how such action would have been received a year ago.

But Snape had changed, and seeing the need of reassurance in the old man's eyes, he quickly stepped forward and took the old wizard in his own arms, taking care to not squeeze him too much.

"Severus, my boy."

The younger man closed his eyes, taking in the beloved voice. How much he had missed this man. "Albus, it's good to see you again."

They stayed still for a few minutes before Severus finally stepped back. The old man beamed at him, clearly happy to see him again. The Potions Master returned the smile with a small one of his own and turned to hug Poppy and Minerva, who both accepted the hug a bit startled. After shaking Bill's hand, he ushered everyone to the seats in front of the fireplace and offered them tea.

They all sipped in silence, until Albus finally broke the silence. "How are you doing, Severus?"

The younger man nodded to him. "I'm fine, Albus, I'm sorry for having caused you so much worry."

Minerva raised an eyebrow. "Have you been here all this time? You could have send us a letter sooner."

Snape could clearly hear the accusing tone in her voice and quickly shook his head. "I just arrived here a few days ago, and only today have I been in state of sending you the letter."

Poppy and Albus frowned. "Are you hurt?"

"No, no, I'm fine, I was just extremely tired and needed to rest. I slept for two days straight."

Bill looked at him curiously. "What did Voldemort do to you? We knew that you were discovered as a spy, but we didn't manage to find out what they had done to you. It doesn't look like they kept you prisoner."

Severus nodded, sipping from his tea. "You're right, I wasn't kept prisoner. I was left to die. Voldemort has a standard procedure for the revealed spies or special annoying enemies. He throws them into the Forest of Mystery, and trusts that their own magic will kill them."

Minerva narrowed her eyes. "Wait a second, are you trying to tell me that you were thrown into the Forest of Mystery and that you got out? That's impossible! No one has survived long enough to figure out that maze."

Snape smirked. "Well, I was extremely lucky and had help of a bunch of bull headed, reckless Gryffindors."

The Potions Master watched in satisfaction as realisation started to dawn on the weary faces. Before they could react, a soft voice came from the door. "We resent that comment, Professor; I distinctly remember you telling us we were almost Slytherins."

Snape turned to watch in amusement as the teens entered the room, leaded by Harry. "Did I say that?"

The Gryffindors returned his smirk and, as one, nodded. Then they turned to look at the other adults sitting there, watching them in awe. When realisation finally dawned in their eyes, Bill sprang up and rushed to Ron, who accepted the hug from his older brother with one of his own. Both redheads were crying silently, trying to fight down the emotion coming from their reunion. The other teens watched with a small smile, longing to be reunited to their own loved ones. Suddenly, they all turned around as McGonagall gave a small shriek and jumped on them, hugging Parvati and Dean tightly, since they were the ones standing closest to her. Poppy wasn't very far behind and hugged the ones closest to her. The group of teens had no choice but accept the motherly hugs coming from the two women. Harry, who had managed to escape the two, stood at a side, carefully observing Dumbledore. The old man had tears cascading down his face and a huge weight seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders. A soft voice startled him from his musings.

"He is ill."

Glancing at Severus, Harry shook his head lightly. "No, he's just tired. He is old, Professor, this war is taking too much out of him."

The man looked doubtful, but he didn't contradict his student. They both started a bit as the intense blue eyes settled on them. Harry smiled slightly and swiftly made his way towards his headmaster, hugging him tightly before the man had the chance to get up.

One after the other, all the teens gently greeted the old man, deeply affected by the frail look he presented. After a bit of moving around, they all settled back in the chairs, with most of the teens sitting on the ground, as there was not enough place for all of them on the couches. Minerva couldn't help but stare a bit when Parvati leaned contently against Severus' legs; it was obvious that much had changed between them. Slowly, the teens and the Potions Master told them everything that had been going on; they didn't get into much detail as there was no need yet, but they did outlined the few important points in their forced travel.

When they were done, McGonagall shook her head, shock still evident in her eyes. "I would never have believed it if I wasn't seeing you sitting here in front of me. To think a few teenagers and a young man were able to survive for about a year in a place where no one has been able to live more than a few days."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement, a bright twinkle lighting up his eyes like it had done before. "I agree with Minerva, it's amazing that you have managed to survive, and I can't tell you how proud I am and how relieved. Your disappearance was a heavy blow to our side."

Harry sighed and rubbed his scar lightly. "I can only imagine how everyone must have felt. How have things been? Professor Snape said you seemed to have been able to hold your own against Voldemort, but I don't really trust the Daily Prophet in such matters."

Dumbledore looked out of the window pensively. "Surprisingly, it's not completely untrue. After your disappearance, Fudge was forced to step down and Amos Diggory took his place as Minister with Arthur Weasley as his right hand man. They have managed to right many things and have turned the Ministry in a powerful organization. The aurors have started to take an active part in the war against Voldemort and this way we've managed to keep the Death Eaters in check."

Severus exchanged a relieved glance with Harry, who was sitting at his right side. They had always been so afraid that they would return too late and now it seemed their worried had been unfounded. Ron cocked his head thoughtfully; he had noticed the exchange, but he wasn't so sure that everything was alright. The headmaster had looked very sad and even if most of it had disappeared when he saw them, his shoulders were still slightly slumped and the twinkle in his eyes wasn't as strong as it had been before. Carefully, he decided to speak, after all, they might as well hear it everything now.

"So, everyone is ok?"

He knew he had been right when Dumbledore and McGonagall exchanged a look. Lavender, who was sitting besides him, tensed a bit while Ron placed a reassuring hand on her knee.

Finally, after a few moments of tense silence, Dumbledore answered. "I'm afraid that in the fight against Death Eaters there have been several losses to our side. Some families were killed before aurors were able to help out and several aurors and Order members were killed trying to protect people." Seeing the intent gazes of the children and Severus, Albus knew he couldn't hold back the bad news he had. After all, it would be worse if they found out from another source. "In January, there was an attack at St. Mungo's, the aurors managed to stop most Death Eaters, but the mental ward was completely destroyed."

Neville had gone completely pale at that news. "My parents..."

Dumbledore nodded sadly. "Yes, they were killed. And sadly, your grandmother was visiting at the time, she didn't survive either." The old headmaster watched as Dean drew the pale boy in a comforting hug. He hated having to give this kind of news, but it was better if they heard it from him. "I'm afraid that's not the only bad news I have." He turned to Parvati, who locked gazes with him, growing pale. "On Easter, your village was attacked; you father died fighting bravely, trying to protect everyone else."

The girl's eyes filled with tears. "My mother and sister?"

The old man smiled slightly at her. "They're fine, they're now living with your uncle."

Parvati nodded and lowered her head, tears making their way down her cheeks. Lavender moved to the ground to comfort her while Dumbledore turned to Harry. The boy met his intent gaze with a stoic mask; he had known there would be bad news for him, he only hoped it wouldn't be too bad.

"Last Christmas, there was an attack in Surrey, and the Dursleys were all killed before Miss Figg could get in touch with us." Dumbledore looked curiously as a bit of guilt went through the boy's eyes, but he didn't seem very sad at all. Storing that information for later, he continued, knowing the next piece of news would affect him much more. "And I'm afraid that your godfather was killed fighting Bellatrix Lestrange."


	28. Consequences

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery.

Harry's eyes filled with tears as his brain tried to process what the old man was telling him. Sirius, the only man he had ever considered family, was dead. He had been killed thinking that Harry was dead. It was his fault, if Sirius had known that he was alive he would have been more careful, he would...

His thoughts were interrupted as strong hands picked him up and he was placed on someone's lap. Looking up, he saw intent black eyes staring at him sternly. A soft voice spoke to him. "Don't even think that this is in any way your fault, you had no way to be here."

Those words broke something in Harry, and he couldn't help but throw his arms around the man's neck and burry his head in his shoulder as tears started to run down his face. Dimly he heard Parvati crying softly at his side, but he was too intent in his own hurt to take notice of it, someone would help Parvati, for once, he needed help himself and Severus seemed more than willing to do so.

Minerva watched with in shock as her younger colleague comforted Harry. If she had had any doubt that Severus had changed, it had disappeared by now. After all, the old Potions Master would have laughed at Black's death and he would have berated Harry for being weak and crying. While the teens tried to come to terms with their losses, Madam Pomfrey stood up.

"Severus."

The man looked up, his arms still firmly around the teen he was holding. "Yes?"

The nurse smiled softly down at him. "Do you have a room in which I can set up my things? I need to examine all of you and make sure you are alright."

The man frowned a bit, but knowing that arguing with her would be no use, he softly called a house elf. When Pepy appeared he told him to lead the nurse to one of the unused rooms close to the common room and help her with anything she needed. Once the two of them had disappeared, he turned his attention to Harry, who had become quite while still gripping him around his neck.

"Better?"

Harry nodded slightly, but didn't move from his position on the man's lap. He needed the closeness to the man that had become his protector and confident during the last months. Severus, sensing this need, didn't move to push him away and instead watched as Seamus entered the room Poppy had moved to.

They all sat in silence for a long while, with Dumbledore, McGonagall and Bill giving the others time to process the news they had given them. Finally, about half an hour later, Seamus reappeared with a frowning Poppy on his heels.

Sensing the woman's confusion, Dumbledore looked at her curiously. "Is there something wrong, Poppy?"

The nurse shook her head slightly. "Just a few shocking things I came across, but I need to check on everyone else before making a statement. Mr. Finnigan is healthy, so don't worry about it, but he has gone through some changes, as was to be expected. Now, if you excuse me, would you mind coming in, Miss Granger? Mr. Finnigan has told me you haven't been feeling well."

Hermione came out some time later with strict orders to rest and so one after another went in, sometimes alone and sometimes in pairs. Severus and Harry were the last ones to enter the room and Severus watched as the nurse not only checked for the boy's physical condition but his magical strength as well. Once she was done with the boy, she turned towards him and he went through the same process. He frown deepened as she finished with him and shooed them both outside.

Everyone was still waiting for them in the large room. Harry and Severus took their seats and looked towards the nurse, who was right now pacing in front of them. Finally it was Dumbledore who broke her nervous walking.

"Is there something wrong with them?"

The children looked at her a bit anxiously. They were all feeling alright except for starting to feel tired again, but there had to be something wrong for the woman to be so agitated. Snapping into attention, the nurse turned around and faced them.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, just surprising. Physically they are in very good condition, probably better than they have ever been. Hermione and Harry still have a bit of the cold they caught a few days ago, I think that because of the lack of magic it was worse than it usually is but they will be fine with a few more days of rest. What really has me surprised is their magic. At first I thought they had all just reached their majority."

Minerva immediately looked up at that. "They are still too young for that."

Poppy nodded in agreement. "Yes, but it's not unheard for, if I remember correctly the Headmaster went through it when he was fifteen."

The old man nodded. "That's right, Poppy, but it's very strange for it to happen before being seventeen, Poppy. I could accept one or two, but all eight of them?"

The nurse smirked grimly. "Actually I would say all nine of them."

Severus' head snapped up. "I already went thought my majority."

The woman nodded. "Yes, I know, that's why I think that the children haven't gone through it yet, but I can't deny that their magical powers have grown quite a lot, same as yours Severus. You're much stronger than when you went into the Forest."

They all stayed silent for a long while, trying to process the meaning of the woman's words. Finally, Hermione broke it. "It kind of makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, we're wizards, we use magic almost unconsciously to live. In the forest, the amount of magic we used was very small because we knew it would be dangerous so subconsciously we tried to store as much magic as we could."

Snape nodded lightly. "You're right. In trying to store up so much magic we stretched our reserves to the limit, making them larger than they ever were and now that we're back into a magical they have filled completely."

The teenagers nodded while still thinking about that theory. Dean cocked his head and looked towards the Potions Master. "But then what about Harry and Parvati? They have been the ones to use the most magic, they wouldn't have had the chance to fill their magical reserves enough to stretch them."

Poppy was the one who answered. "You are right in some way, Mr. Thomas. Harry and Parvati's magic has been the least affected, but they both had larger magical reserves than you, and if I'm not mistaken they didn't really use all of it. Most teenagers have more magic than they are aware of and they usually never reach to activate all of it. I think that their stay in the Forest has managed to awaken their sleeping reserves making them stronger."

Once again everyone fell silent. Finally, after a while, Dumbledore sat up straighter. "We need to discuss what we're going to do now."

Snapped out of her own musings, Poppy quickly interrupted. "Not now, Albus. The children and Severus should go back to bed, all this magic around them is tiring them out more than you think. They need time to adjust to their new surroundings. Not to mention that you could do with some rest too, headmaster."

The old man was about to protest but was cut off. Severus and Harry, while they wanted to discuss what was going to happen, saw that Poppy wanted the Headmaster to rest and agreeing completely with her assessment they stood up. The other teens imited them without a word, while some of them didn't know why they were doing as the nurse said without arguing, they knew better than to question it right now. Their questions would be answered when they were on their own. Minerva smiled slightly when she heard Albus start to protest, ignoring him, she helped the nurse to lift him on his feet. Turning to Severus, she smiled at him.

"We'll be back tomorrow after classes, Severus, try to get a bit of rest."

Snape nodded lightly and led his guests towards the front door from where they would be able to use the portkey to head back to Hogwarts. Poppy held him back from the group and regarded him seriously. "I'll be here to check on you tomorrow morning, try not to use magic until you've rested a bit more and make sure the children don't do anything. You have had years of experience controlling your power and probably won't have much trouble but Merlin knows what they could do if they started to fire curses."

Severus nodded seriously. He had already thought about that and would make sure to warn his former students of it. Not that he thought there would be many problems, they just weren't used to use magic anymore.

"Don't worry, Poppy, I'll warn them."

The nurse nodded and smiled sadly at him. "Try to make sure everyone sleeps, Severus. They need to rest and some of them have had quite a few shocks today. Maybe a bit of dreamless potion wouldn't be amiss." After the man nodded in agreement, she added: "And don't think that because I want you to keep an eye on the students you don't have to rest too. I want you to get at least eight hours of sleep tonight, and I'll be sure to check with your house elf if you have done so."

Severus groaned softly, making the nurse smile. He knew her well enough to know that she would do just as she said.

A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to Vinnie for beta reading.


	29. Amusement

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery.

Once everyone had left, Severus returned to the room where he had left the children. They were sitting on the floor, drawing comfort from the roaring fire and each other. They had left an open space between Harry and Lavender obviously meant for him, so after asking one of his house-elves to gather sleeping potions for everyone and put them in their bedrooms, he went to join the Gryffindors. As soon as he was seated on the warm rug, Harry shifted so he was leaning against his side. The black-haired boy was pleased when a strong arm went around him, curling around his waist and offering the comfort he so needed after the terrible news that the day had brought.

It must have been nearly an hour later when the silence that surrounded them was shattered by a high-pitched shriek. At once they all jumped up, frantically searching for their knives that were no longer where they used to be. Severus had forcefully forbidden them from carrying the weapons in case a house-elf startled them and they killed it without meaning to. Finally remembering they were wizards, Ron took out his wand, only to have it snatched out of his hands by his former Potions Master.

"Hey!"

The older man scowled at him. "Ron, right now our control is worse than the one of a first year, and we have about ten times their power. Unless you want to blast us all to pieces, I suggest you all keep your wands to yourselves."

The redhead was about to argue when the door that led to the room burst open. Everyone tensed up, expecting a horde of Death Eaters at the very least. Instead, they saw Shirleena racing into the room with a house-elf attached to its tail. The poor little being was still shrieking at the large feline.

"Stop! Bad kitty must stop now! Bad kitty not allowed to go in there!"

The teens and their professor stared dumbfounded as the girion suddenly stopped running, propelling the house-elf over his large form until it landed on one of the couches. Sharing a look, everyone started to laugh, breaking the glumness that had surrounded them until now. Even Severus was chuckling softly, supporting Lavender who was about to collapse in laughter.

Gathering his breath, the tall wizard reassured his distraught elf that everything was fine and dismissed him. Then, straightening up and allowing Dean to hold the still snickering Lavender, he glared down at the innocent looking girion, who was calmly cleaning one of his paws. At seeing the Death glare on the man's face, Dean started to laugh again.

"Look, guys, Professor Snape is back."

That sent all the teens back to laughing and made the man shift his glare to them. "I think it's time you all went to bed, you're obviously more tired than I thought."

Those words immediately stopped all laughter. The teens didn't feel like going to sleep yet, but Severus didn't allow them to argue as he started to drag Harry and Seamus with him, forcing the other teens to follow with only a look.

Harry looked up half amused at the man; he somehow felt like they were being put to bed like naughty children. That thought made him giggle again, which earned him a stern look from the tall wizard. But it seemed he had not been the only one having had the same thought, because when they reached Hermione's room, the girl looked up pleadingly at their former professor.

"Please, Professor, can you wait until I'm asleep?"

Severus was about to snap at her rather harshly, quite tired of the jokes already, when he saw the real need behind those laughing eyes. She might be saying it as a joke, but he had come to know her well enough to see that she really meant it somehow.

"Go get into you pyjamas."

She was startled at his words, and for a moment, she considered telling him he didn't need to, and yet, the part of her that needed reassurance and that Severus had seen won over the one that said she was being childish. So without a look to her friends she went inside.

Severus turned slightly. His other former students were still standing near him, and all of them wore the same look Hermione had. None of them said anything, knowing better than to tempt the man's patience, but the fact that they hadn't moved to their rooms was telling enough.

Sighing, the older man nodded to them. "Go to your rooms, I'll be by in a bit."

Hesitating, the teenagers nodded and moved, most looking like they wanted to protest but yet weren't able to. A soft sound came from Hermione's bedroom, and Snape stepped inside.

The girl was sitting up in bed, the sleeping potion in her hand. She refused to look up at him when he went to sit at the foot of her bed.

"I'm sorry about that, Professor. I only meant it as a joke."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Did you? I doubt it, Hermione."

She bit her lower lip but couldn't really argue with him. She had wanted someone here with her until she was sleeping, wanted the reassurance that everything would be ok so she could sleep peacefully. Of course she hadn't really expected there to be a sleeping potion in her room, so when she had seen the small vial, she felt ashamed. And yet, the man was here, sitting patiently besides her, and he had known the potion would be here, who else would have ordered it to be there?

She was startled out of her thoughts when he placed a hand on her foot. "Lay down, Hermione, and drink the sleeping potion. You need your rest, and everything will be better when you wake up."

She smiled at him. "I never took you for being an optimist, Professor."

The man sneered softly down at her. "Who says I am? I merely guessed that was what you needed to hear."

Laughing softly, she drank down the potion and handed the vial back to the wizard. Pocketing the empty container, Snape stood up and helped her to lay comfortably down. The potion quickly took effect, and she was already more than half asleep when she felt something brush her forehead. Storing that information for later, she let herself go into the calm blackness of sleep.

Sighing, Snape left the room, closing the door softly after him. He still had seven brats to go before he could rest and some of them would be in worse shape than Hermione was.

In the hall, he met Dean and Seamus, already dressed in pyjamas, talking quietly in front of their bedroom doors. Both boys smiled slightly at him, and after wishing each other goodnight, they entered their rooms. Snape followed Seamus first and waited till the teen had downed his potion before stepping closer and tucking him in. The younger wizard smiled lightly, his eyes already closed.

"Thanks, Professor."

After repeating his actions with Dean, he moved to Parvati's rooms. He wasn't very surprised to see two girls lying in bed instead of one, so he didn't say anything. He settled down next to Parvati as the two girls turned to watch him.

"How are you doing?"

He gently passed a hand through the girl's hair as she smiled a bit up at him. "I'll miss him so much, Professor, he was always so kind and protective of Padma and me, and he died thinking I was dead."

Tears started to fall down her cheeks and Lavender hugged her tightly from behind while Severus gently dried the tiny droplets. "I know how much it hurts to lose someone dear to you, but remember that you still have your mother and your sister, and your family, you're not alone."

Parvati smiled through her tears. "And I have you, all of you; I don't think you know how much it means for me that you're sitting here now, Professor. Everything that happened in the Forest was important; we helped each other but we really didn't have a choice in the matter, we needed to work together to survive. But this, you allowing us into your home, being here for us, it means that you really care about us, and I want you to know that I care about you in return and that if you ever need anything, I will do whatever is in my power to help you."

Severus didn't know what to say; he saw Lavender nod from her place behind Parvati. Instead of saying anything, he gave her the small vial with the sleeping potion. Both girls seemed to understand what he didn't want to say and at the same time drowned their potions. Severus silently tucked them in and after they were sleeping, he left them, heading for the next room while his mind was still reeling at the young girl's words.


	30. Uncle Severus

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery.

Ron was standing in front of the window staring pensively into the dark night when Severus entered his room. The redhead nodded to the man and with a last look outside went to the bed. Instead getting in, he sat down on the edge, taking the vial in his hands and looking at it intently.

Snape raised an eyebrow, wondering what the problem might be. "I assure you there's no poison in there."

The teen looked up startled. "That's not what I was thinking! I know that you wouldn't poison us. I may not show it as much as the others do, but I really trust you without a doubt, and I appreciate everything you've done and are doing for us." Smirking slightly, he added. "If I wasn't afraid you would have my head, I would have started calling you something else besides professor a long time ago."

Snape was rather startled at those words. After what Parvati had said, he didn't think anything would shock him that night, but he had been wrong. Of course he had noticed that the teens called him professor, but he had never thought they might want to call him anything else. After all, a name other than professor and sir would show that they were more than teacher and student. That realisation, together with the girl's words from earlier, forced him to admit that they had left the teacher-student relationship a long time ago. Sighing, he went to sit next to the teen, wondering if he would be able to sleep after everything that was being revealed tonight.

"I had never thought about that. What would you call me?"

Ron looked pensively back to the potion. "I'm not sure; before getting out of the Forest, I would have called you Severus." The teen smiled up at the man. "That's actually what we called you when some of us addressed you and you weren't near." He returned his gaze to his hands. "Now, though..."

Frowning, the man put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Now? Why not Severus anymore? I don't think I would mind much, I just didn't think you wanted me to call me anything but Professor."

Ron shook his head. "But it's not right anymore, here it isn't. Here we can't ignore the fact that you're more than 20 years our senior and that you were our teacher. Everyone else wouldn't take it well if you allowed us to call you Severus, it would be uncomfortable."

Snape had to admit that the boy was right, but he was starting to get a headache from just thinking about it. How could a name be such a large problem? "So, we're back to Professor then?"

He wanted to tear his hair out when the teen shook his head. "But that's not right either. I mean, Professor is ok if you're teaching us or if we were at school, but it's very impersonal, and I would like to think that we're more than just teacher and students."

Snape nodded, he could see the boy's point. "Ok, so what would you call me? Any idea?"

Ron smiled a bit sadly. "Oh, yes, of course, but it's not something I would dare to propose. You would kill me."

The only thing he knew right then was that if the redhead continued with this, he would kill him. "Ronald Weasley, I'm really getting tired of this so either drink that potion and go to sleep or tell me what you would call me."

Looking at the man and knowing he was about to lose his patience, Ron took the easiest way out. Standing up, he slid under the covers, ignoring the man's groan and drank the potion. Ignoring the irritation he felt, Severus took the empty vial out of the relaxed grasp and tucked the boy in. He was about to draw away from the bed and leave when the boy's soft voice reached his ears.

"Night, Uncle Severus."

He must have stood there for ten minutes at least, frozen in shock at the teen's words. Finally, shaking himself out of his astounded feelings, he turned around and left the room. Uncle Severus. Now that he was over his surprise he felt a small warmth fill him. If Professor had seemed cold and impersonal, Uncle Severus was filled with closeness and care.

Neville was the next one, having decided to leave Harry as last. Severus entered the boy's room, only to find him curled up on the floor with tears streaming down his face. Cursing himself softly, he went to sit down next to the teen and drew him close. Part of him told him he should have dealt with the ones that had lost family first so they wouldn't have time to dwell on what they had been told, yet, another part of him knew that they needed time to try and deal with it on their own time, and as much as their friends might mean, the closeness they shared could be overwhelming some times.

He didn't say anything as Neville cried quietly against his shoulder; he would just sit with him, waiting for the tears to pass. After a while, the teen spoke.

"You know what the worst of everything is?"

The man gently passed a hand through the boy's hair. "What?"

Neville shuddered. "It hurts more that my grandmother is dead than that my parents died. I mean, how can I really feel sorrow when they have finally been liberated from a world they didn't live in anymore? I can't even say I'll miss them; I never felt as if they were my parents, just two wizards sitting there, looking at nothing."

Severus sighed; he wasn't really surprised that the teen felt that way. "There's nothing to feel bad about, Neville. You lived with your grandmother, she effectively became your mother when she started to take care of you, and no matter how stern she seemed, anyone could see she cared deeply about you. And you are very right in saying that what your parents had was no life. While I don't believe it's up to any of us to determine who lives and who dies, it will help to think that your parents are now better off."

Neville didn't say anything, just leaned deeper into the man's arms. Slowly the tears stopped, and they were replaced with a more pensive look. Snape, who had noticed right away, waited for the boy to say something. When no words came, he decided to speak himself.

"Is there something else wrong?"

The teen looked up at him and shrugged slightly. "I was wondering where I'll be going. I mean, I have other family but they either have a family of their own or they are too old to take care of a teen. I don't want to be a burden to them, but the ministry wouldn't allow me to live on my own."

Neville was frowning deeply, and Snape, while knowing that problem would come up quickly, tried to reassure him. "I don't think you need to worry about it for now. If I have my way, very few people will know about us until the Dark Lord dies, and after that we'll see what we can do."

While everything was not ok, the boy looked slightly reassured and allowed Severus to help him into his bed. After drinking the potion and wishing his professor goodnight, the boy drifted off, and Snape went to his last charge's room.

Harry was already lying in bed when he entered the room. And while there were tear tracks on his face, he seemed to be calm. Severus knew he had taken a long time to get to his last charge, but he had also suspected that he was the one who needed to be alone to get rid of the pain and despair that filled him. No matter how close they had gotten during their journey, Snape knew that Harry felt uncomfortable showing what he thought was weakness. He had been fairly surprised when he had cried in front of everyone in the living room before, but the shock had obviously been too hard for him to rein it in.

Silently the man sat next to the teen and gently stroked his hair. "How are you doing?" Harry barely had the chance to open his mouth when Severus interrupted. "And don't give me the fine crap."

That got him a small laugh from the teen. "Ok, ok, I'm not fine, but I will be." Severus waited patiently knowing there would come more. "Sirius was a good man, and I liked to have him around. He was one of the last links to my parents, and he was very funny to be with. And I will miss him."

Snape frowned lightly. "But?"

Sighing, the younger wizard shook his head. "But I wasn't that attached to him. How could I be when I barely knew him? It's not like Parvati that will miss her father terribly or Neville with his Grandmother. Maybe it sounds cruel, but I won't miss him in my everyday life since I never got used to have him in the first place. Of course I'm sure there will be those special moments in which I would want him with me, but I think it will have more to do with the fact that I'll miss my godfather than that I'll miss Sirius himself... does that make sense?"

Severus nodded lightly. "It does, child. And about the Dursleys? I somehow don't think you're sad about them."

Harry bit his lip. "No, not sad, more like guilty; they probably were killed because of me."

The Potions Master frowned. "Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. When it comes down to it, nothing would have happened had Voldemort not wanted to kill them so it's useless to blame yourself when there was nothing you could have done to save them. After all, it was not even you who wanted to live with them, and you can hardly feel guilty for living."

Harry's face told him that he could indeed feel that way, which made Severus glare down at him. "Harry, don't be ridiculous; the Dursleys' death was not your fault and even if I have to tell you a hundred times, I refuse to allow you to feel guilty about that. It's bad enough that you have the tendency to feel guilty about absolutely everything that happens, no sense in adding to it."

Even if he knew that Severus was speaking the truth, all his friends had pointed that particular thing more than once before, Harry still couldn't get over the thought that his relatives' dead was his fault. He was only happy that they didn't really get along, it would have been much worse had that been the case. Looking up at the man sitting next to him, he saw he was troubled too.

"Professor? What's wrong? Did something bad happen?"

Severus, jarred out of his thoughts shook his head. "No, no, nothing's wrong." Seeing the boy's stubborn look and knowing that he wouldn't get out of it easily if he didn't explain, Severus sighed. "It really is nothing, just some things Ron and Parvati said that got me thinking."

Harry sat up, deciding he wasn't going to go to sleep now anyway. "Care to share? It wasn't anything bad, right?"

Snape shook his head. "No, nothing bad, just some things I never thought about."

The teen raised an eyebrow. "Like?"

Scowling, the man answered. "You're not going to leave this alone, right?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued. "Parvati was just thanking me, letting me know how grateful she was about what I was doing for you all. Not that it's much, I'm just allowing you to stay with me, and it's not like I want you exposed to the whole wizarding world right now. But it got me thinking, I never thanked you lot for saving my life, because I have no doubt that without you, I would have died in there."

Harry took his hand and squeezed it gently. "You don't need to thank us, you have done as much for us as we have for you. Look at what happened with Hermione; we might have lost it had it not been for you. And while I know that Hermione and Neville helped, it was you who developed the potion that allowed us to see portals. There really is no need to thank us, and I know how Parvati feels, I mean, we're here, in your home and you're behaving very kindly towards you."

Severus groaned, putting his head in his hands. "Next you will be calling me Uncle Severus too."

Harry, having had to listen to Ron's musings earlier in the day, kept a straight face. "Oh, don't worry; I prefer to call you Daddy."

Snape looked up sharply, his eyes wide in shock. "Oh, no, you don't. I can get used to you lot calling me Uncle if you insist, but there's no way any of you are going to make a parent out of me."

Harry laughed, knowing deep down that no matter how much the man complained, he already was a parent to him. Anyway, he got what he wanted and didn't wait to let the man know. "Oh, ok then, Uncle Severus, I guess we'll be able to live with it."

Seeing the smirking face in front of him, Snape knew he had just been masterfully manipulated. "Slytherin, no doubt about it."

Harry chuckled at his mutters but was glad that the man didn't seem to have more to add to the name thing. Deciding it had been more than enough for one night, Severus stood up and motioned for Harry to lay back down in bed. Silently he handed out the sleeping potion before returning to his seat next to the teen waiting for him to fall asleep.

"Uncle?"

Snape put a hand through the teen's hair. "Yes?"

"I'm glad you didn't revert back to your Potions Master persona."

The man looked faintly amused. "The thought didn't cross my mind, but it might if you start to misbehave."

Harry laughed softly but the potion was already taking effect and his mind already tumbled into calm darkness. "Night, Uncle."

"Sleep well, Child."

When he was sure Harry was deeply asleep, Severus went to his own room, got ready for bed and not giving himself time to start thinking about everything the children had said, he downed the potion and fell into a warm, comfortable sleep.

To be continued...

A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie.


	31. Lacking control

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. 

Forest of Mystery. 

Severus was up very early the next morning. Over the years he had built up a bit of an immunity for sleeping potions so they didn't affect him as strongly anymore. After showering and changing in some comfortable clothes, the tall man checked on his charges, finding them all still asleep. After closing the last door, he made his way towards the living room, where breakfast popped up on the table as soon as he stepped into the room. After he settled down and started to eat, the paper appeared next to him, and he set out to have an enjoyable, slowmorning.

Nearly an hour laterhis peace was interrupted, not by one of the children entering the room, but by the soft pop of a house elf that came to announce the arrival of Madam Pomfrey. Sighing, he put the paper aside and stood up just as another elf led the woman inside.

"Good morning, Severus."

He nodded at her while gesturing that she should take a seat. "Hello, Poppy. I trust everything is well?"

The nurse took her seat and smiled up at him. "Everything is fine, Severus, I must say that knowing that you and the children are, not only alive, but alsosafe has lifted a big weight from us. I don't think I've seen Albus as happy as he was yesterday since you disappeared."

Severus sighed, believing her words without doubt. "About that, Poppy, how is he doing? He looked horrible last night."

The witch frowned lightly, concern covering her features. "The war has been hard on everybody, each loss weighing more on our shoulders even though we have been able to keep things fairly balanced. Albus has been working himself to exhaustion, leading the school and the war at the same time and it's taking its toll. He's not as young as he used to be."

Severus nodded with a sigh, knowing that they were really lucky to have arrived at a time when Albus was still alive, a few months more in the forest and they might have been too late. Shaking his head firmly, he pushed those thoughts aside and returned his attention to the nurse. "We need to do something about this war; it needs to end, and soon."

The nurse nodded in agreement, but then adopted a sterner expression. "I agree, but none of you will be doing anything until I say that you're ready."

Severus looked fairly amused at her words, knowing that if the children made up their minds, no one was going to stand in their way. Even so, he tried to pacify her. "We wouldn't dare to do something like that, Poppy."

The nurse looked at him with a clearly disbelieving expression, but before she had a chance to reply, the door opened and Neville entered the room rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Morning."

The two adults returned his greeting and watched as the teen sat down and started to butter a slice of bread. Slowly, one after the other, the other teenagers started to arrive with Ron entering last. They all ate silently, taking their time in completely waking up. When he saw the last of them putting his cup down, Severus sat a bit straighter.

"I trust you all slept well?"

They nodded even though Dean was still yawning, earning him amused glances from his friends. Placing his hands on the table, Severus regained their attention. "We need to start practicing with our wands again. Madam Pomfrey will stay with us in case something goes wrong, but we need to get you attuned to magic as soon as possible. It's just too dangerous to allow you to roam about without it." Glancing at the teens, he added, "And I would ask you to not carry any weapons around the house. I don't want you to kill one of my house-elves because he startled you."

The children sighed but nodded in agreement, knowing it would be difficult to get used to the fact that no dangerous animals were going to jump at them here. They were all shooed away to change into comfortable clothes that the house-elves had provided for them and then they were led to a large room placed in the dungeons. Once there, Severus started to lecture them and made them practice against some stone statues.

To say it was a disaster would have been an understatement. When Severus finally called a halt, Lavender was nearly in tears and most of the boys just dropped their wands and left the room. They had been completely unable to control the simplest spell. A wingardium leviosa had crashed all the statues against the ceiling, breaking them in small pieces. Thankfully, Severus hadn't reverted to his snarky bastard persona; else it would have been horrible.

With a sigh, the Potions Master looked at Harry, Dean, and Hermione, the only ones still in the room, and quietly told them to go change in some clean clothes. When the children had left the room, Severus turned to the nurse with a sigh.

"Well, that could have gone better."

Poppy nodded and came closer while Severus gathered Neville and Seamus' wands. "They will just have to keep practising. You'll have to help them through this, Severus."

The Potions Master shrugged. "I don't know if I can help them much, Poppy, I was too careful in trying not to snap at them and too afraid that I would say something wrong. They need someone that won't be afraid at snapping at them if they mess up. I can no longer be that person; I've become too attached to them and if they have to live with me, I don't want to have to be both, their teacher and their guardian."

The nurse nodded pensively. "You might be right, they will need your comfort and understanding and you won't be able to give those freely if you're trying to push them in the lessons. I'll talk with Albus; there has to be someone who is trustworthy enough and capable to help the children."

Severus nodded, relieved that the nurse had understood his problems without much explanation. After exchanging a few more sentences, the nurse shooed him to his chambers to have a nice talk with the kids while she returned to Hogwarts to talk with the headmaster.

The Potions Master went to change his robes, as they had gotten covered in dust during the practice and then went in search for his charges. As expected, he found them sitting together in front of the fire in the living room. They were sitting silently, mostly staring into the roaring flames. Without making a sound, he walked up to them and as usual, a seat was made for him between Harry and Neville. Sighing, he sat down, wondering why on earth they had to sit on the floor when there were perfectly comfortable couches in the room. For a while he remained silent, allowing the children to regain their composure and gather their thoughts. Finally, when the silence started to grow uncomfortable, he spoke.

"You couldn't expect it to be easy. You haven't actively been using magic in nearly a year, and your reserves have been expanded, anyone would have trouble in such conditions."

Lavender didn't even look up at him when she spoke. "You don't have any."

Severus shook his head. "Firstly, I'm quite older than you, which means I already had more control over my magic before all this happened. Second, going through your magical majority is much like this. Your magic goes completely awry, we're lucky Hogwarts is so well warded; else the seventh years going through their majority would have destroyed it long ago. It is difficult to get control over your magic again, but the teachers help the seventh years so it's nothing you won't be able to do."

That actually seemed to reassure them quite a bit and some of the children sagged a bit, as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

"Now, Poppy and I decided that it would be best if there was someone else teaching you this."

Seamus snapped his head up, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Why? Can't you teach us? After all, you've been teaching us physical fighting plus lecturing about all those charms and curses."

Severus smirked to the youth. "Something I would appreciate if you kept quiet about. Anyhow, that was different. In the physical fighting, I just practiced alongside you and learned as much from it as you did. The lecturing part was just me talking and you listening because you were interested, if you hadn't wanted to listen I wouldn't have forced you to listen." Some of them nodded, but yet they didn't seem to see what difference it made. "It's just that to really help you, someone has to push you and force you to work hard on this, even if you want to give up or get harmed a bit. I don't know if I can manage that without reverting back to Professor Snape, as you call my teacher persona. Besides, I want you to know that I will be here to talk to about anything that bothers you, including these lessons, and I know you wouldn't come if I were the one teaching you."

Harry had to agree that the man had made a good point. He knew that personally he would prefer that someone else taught them and that Severus remained just Uncle Sev to them.

"Who is going to teach us then?"

Severus shrugged slightly. "I don't know yet, Poppy will tell Dumbledore and he will decide what he thinks is best, as usually."

That made the teens smile and soon they were talking amongst themselves as usual. The Potions Master watched them carefully and when he was sure that they were more or less over their temporary depression, he handed Neville and Seamus their wands and stood up, settling down in a chair and summoning one of his books.

About an hour later, one of the house-elves entered and found the children sitting on the floor, listening to the man talk about a charm to change appearances. The elf shuffled a bit before sighing and calling out.

"Master Severus."

The man and the children quickly turned around and stared at the small being that started to fidget a bit. "I apologise for interrupting you, Master, but Headmaster Dumbledore is here."

To be continued... 

A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie. 


	32. Chosen teachers

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery.

Severus had half expected that Albus would come with half the Order, so he was pleasantly surprised when only the old man and Minerva entered the room. The teenagers greeted their former teachers with nods and smiles, but otherwise didn't say anything. After everyone was settled down and the house elves had served the tea, Dumbledore broke the silence that had fallen over the room.

"Poppy has told me the problems you're having with your magic. She said Severus would prefer not to teach you." The old man looked towards the younger wizard to make sure that was right. Receiving a nod in response, he continued. "I have thought hard on that matter, and I think that there are some aurors in the Order that might be able to help you."

Severus frowned thoughtfully. "Who do you have in mind? And are you sure they're completely trustful? We don't need such news to reach the Ministry."

Albus smiled slightly. "I was thinking about Kingsley, Tonks, and maybe even Moody."

The Potions Master scowled darkly. "I refuse to let that damned, paranoid auror enter my house and as for Tonks, unless she has become more graceful in the last year, I don't really want her around here either."

The old man shook his head. "Severus, you shouldn't hold these grudges against Alastor, you're both on the same side."

The Potions Master's face was a blank mask. "I am willing to drop the mutual animosity as soon as he stops insulting me at every move I do and at everything I try to do. If you will remember, it wasn't me who started this stupid feud, but I doubt you will get the man to ever stop regarding me as a Death Eater, no matter that even Voldemort knows I'm a traitor."

Dumbledore made to reply, but he was cut short by Ron. "I don't think that's going to work either, Professor. If he insults Uncle Sev, he will find himself with a knife deep within his chest."

The headmaster's and deputy headmistress' jaws dropped in shock, not only because Ron had spoken such harsh words defending the man, but also because the other seven teenagers were looking as if they would gladly have said the same. It did not help the fact that Ron had called him 'Uncle Sev.' Severus narrowed his eyes.

"Ron, no one is going to get a knife in his body, even though I appreciate the sentiment, I don't want you to kill anyone; we're no longer in the Forest."

A few quite darns could be heard coming from the teenagers, and the older man was hard-pressed to not let his amusement show. Unnerved by the talk, Dumbledore quickly tried to bring things back on track. "So, if it's neither Tonks nor Moody, it will have to be just Kingsley, do you think he will manage to teach the eight of you on his own?"

The children watched silently as their Potion professor's face became contemplative. Then, grimacing slightly, he told them what he had been thinking about. "Why don't you get the werewolf here? The children know him and he has taught them before, I'm sure he could help quite a lot."

Albus and Minerva exchanged a quick glance while Harry did his best to suppress the excitement he was feeling at the moment. He knew how much Severus disliked the other man, but he wanted to reassure himself that his former professor was alright, especially after his godfather's death.

Albus cleared his throat softly. "I'm not sure if that is such a good idea, Severus, Remus has not really been himself lately."

Severus felt Harry tense from where he was resting against his leg. "In which way?"

Minerva shook her head sadly. "He really lost it after Sirius died; we've been sending him on missions, to keep him busy, but each time he takes more unnecessary risks; we had thought about making him stop with the work, but Poppy thinks that might just kill him as quick as any mission could."

The Potions Master sighed as his former students exchanged anxious glances. "All the more reason to get him here, even if it isn't to help the children. We'll manage to keep him from harming himself and I'm sure that seeing Harry will do him a world of good."

Albus smiled slightly, glad that his younger friend was willing to help the other man despite the animosity they felt for each other. "Thanks you, Severus, I'll tell both Remus and Kingsley this evening, but that still leaves us with the need to find someone to help Kingsley train the children."

Rubbing his eyes tiredly, the Potions Master nodded towards the red-head seated next to Lavender. "Why don't you ask Mr. Weasely, Bill that is, to come? He already knows about us and he probably knows one or two things about magical control."

Albus nodded, silently he still thought that either Moody or Tonks would be a better choice, but he didn't think the children would cooperate with someone who didn't meet Severus' approval. This thought filled him with warmth; he was glad that his young protégé had finally found some people who would stand at his side no matter what.

They talked a bit longer about nothing really important and finally, the headmaster stood up with Minerva at his side. "I'm going to warn Kingsley and Remus, they will be here this evening after supper, if that's alright."

Severus nodded his agreement and left with the two professors, guiding them to the door. Once they were out of the room, the teenagers glanced at each other, sighing slightly.

Dean stretched out on his back and frowned to the ceiling. "I'm afraid these lessons are going to be even worse than Potions used to be."

Soft sound of agreeing ran through the room, but Parvati smiled slightly. "I'm just glad that Uncle Sev won't be teaching us. While we were at it earlier, I was waiting for him to start shouting every time I messed up."

Neville smirked a bit. "You and me both."

Remembering how many times the boy had been at odds with the Potions Master for burning cauldrons, the other teenagers answered his dry remark with a laugh, slightly easing the tension from the room. Soon their imminent training was forgotten as chatter filled the room. Ron and Lavender took out a chess set and started an intense game of chess with Seamus looking intently, waiting for his turn to play against the winner. Hermione settled back in a comfortable couch with a book on her lap, while Parvati sat next to her with a piece of parchment and a pencil. After drawing so many maps for the last months, she felt the need to draw something different. Harry, Dean and Neville settled together in front of the fire. The dark-skinned boy looked at his companions.

"How are the two of you holding up?"

Neville drew his legs up so that his chin was resting on his knees. "Fine, I guess. Grandmother was old, and I knew already that she might die soon. I'm just sad I wasn't there for her and that she died thinking I was dead."

Harry nodded. "I feel the same way about Sirius; I would have liked to tell him I was fine before he died."

Dean looked down at the dark-haired boy. "Will you be ok with Professor Lupin here?"

Neville also turned to watch Harry, waiting for an answer. "I guess I'll be fine. If this is hard for me imagine how he must feel. I at least have the lot of you to keep my mind off of things, but he doesn't really have anyone to lean on. I'm glad Uncle Sev asked him to come, I think it might do him good."

The other two boys nodded in agreement and Neville turned his head so he could look at Dean. "What about you? Are you holding up?"

The boy blinked in surprise. "Fine, why shouldn't I be?"

The blond-haired boy shook his head slightly. "It can't be easy, we are out of the Forest and you can't see your parents. I can't imagine how frustrating that must feel."

Dean bit his lip slightly. "You're right of course, I long to see them, but I understand that we can't right now, and I keep reminding myself that I will see them soon enough, that I still be able to see them because they are fine."

Harry started to frown at those words. His friend was right, his family was fine now, but what if something happened before they had the chance to kill Voldemort. How would they feel, having had the chance to see them, to tell them they are alright and not taking it because it was considered too dangerous? Telling himself he would talk to Severus later, Harry returned his attention to the conversation, which had turned to the plants Neville wanted to plant now that they were out of the Forest.


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery.

It was right after dinner, and Albus was calmly waiting for the three men to arrive. Severus had agreed to allow them to live in the manor for a few weeks so as to limit their comings and goings and remain hidden. Kingsley had been willing to take a few weeks off work even though he didn't know exactly what Albus needed of him. Bill had been far easier to convince once the old headmaster told him he would be staying at Snape Manor. The young man had been having trouble at home; he longed to tell his parents about Ron and the others but Albus had sworn him to secrecy. The call for his services was very fortunate even though Molly wasn't happy with either of them. Remus, on the other hand, had been a bit more difficult to convince. He would have parted for a near werewolf colony the next day and he felt as if Dumbledore wasn't willing to trust him anymore with the important task of gathering the dark creatures. It took the old man quite a bit to convince the man that he was needed elsewhere and that he wasn't merely pulling him back. It wasn't until Dumbledore mentioned that he would be going with Kingsley and Bill that the man agreed.

At a quarter to nine, the three men arrived at his office. Bill was practically bouncing in his place, trying not to draw attention to himself since he didn't know how much the other two men knew. Remus sank in one of the comfortable chairs, allowing his bag to rest against his leg. He was looking very pale and thin, and Dumbledore couldn't help but feel grateful that Severus would be taking care of him. Kingsley followed the werewolf's example and sat down, breaking the silence as he did so.

"What's with all the mystery, Albus? What is it you need us to do?"

The old man chuckled lightly. "All in good time, my friend, while safe, my office is no the best place to talk about these things. I need you three to help with a special project that I think will help us greatly in our war against Voldemort. I think it better not to tell you the details here. You'll be taking a portkey to your destiny and meet there with your contact."

Anyone who knew the headmaster well enough could see that his eyes were dancing with suppressed amusement. Bill was also smiling lightly, though he wondered why they needed their help. Nodding towards the youngest man, Albus stood up. "Bill knows where you are going and who you'll be meeting so everything should be fine. Your contact will tell you what we need you to do."

Remus was frowning by the time the old man was done and also stood up. "I really hope this is worth our time, Albus."

The old man had to restrain a deep sigh as the usually even tempered man snapped at him, reminding him of Severus. Silently, he decided he wouldn't go to the Manor for a while yet, let Remus and Severus settled their differences first.

Without answering the werewolf, Albus drew out the portkey that would take them to Snape Manor and gave it over to Kingsley. "This will activate at nine, don't worry about getting back, you'll be able to apparate out of there."

The auror nodded and extended the portkey to his two companions, who also took it. A few seconds later, when the clock struck nine, they felt the pull at their navels and they were off.

The trio landed outside a large house. Kingsley looked up at the few lightened windows with a frown. Turning to his youngest partner, he nodded towards the door. "Albus said you knew where we are."

The affirmation was more of a question and Bill went to answer when the large doors opened and light flooded out. Once the three were used to the new brightness, they realised that a tall, dark-robed man was looking down at them in amusement.

"There you are; I was starting to think that the old man had forgotten that the portkey activated at nine."

Sensing the shock coming from the other two men, Bill stepped forward a bit and nodded at their host. "Good evening, Severus."

Kingsley could barely believe his eyes. They all had thought that the man was dead, but now he was there, standing in front of them as if nothing had happened. He was about to say something, anything, to break the stunned silence, but a movement at his side made him turn his head in time to see a growling Remus to jump on the other man. Both Bill and Kingsley moved forward to restrain the man but were surprised to see that the Potions Master didn't seem to need their help.

Severus had been paying close attention to Remus, what Albus and Minerva had said about him had put him on guard so he wasn't surprised when Remus had jumped at him. Now, while werewolves usually had superior strength, Severus had just spent several months living in the wilderness so he had no problem grabbing the man's wrists and push them down. Even though his arms were effectively restrained by those strong hands, Remus continued to try and fight against the other man.

"Where on earth were you, you bloody coward? We needed your help, do you have any idea how many people have died while you were God knows where?"

Severus tried to keep those words from affecting him. He knew he couldn't have been there, he had told Harry the same thing often enough, and yet the pain behind those words made it difficult not to feel guilty.

Kingsley frowned, and moved once again forward to help Severus, even though the man didn't seem to need it. Remus was being completely irrational and even though the man's face was impassive, he could nearly feel the hurt pouring out of him. He was about to reach the two men's side when his attention was caught by a shadow emerging from inside the house. He had seen enough Weasleys in his life to not recognize the new man as one, but even so, he didn't recognize which one it was; he didn't think he had met him before. Severus also seemed aware of his presence as he turned lightly to face him.

"Can you get me a calming potion? I think he needs it."

The young man nodded and went back inside. Kingsley noticed that Remus had stopped fighting and was now taking in huge gasps, his eyes fixed on where the young man had been standing.

Severus found himself supporting most of the man's weight and slowly lowered him to the ground.

"Lupin, you need to calm down, everything will be explained but it won't make any sense if you're not rational enough to listen."

Those words didn't seem to get through to the man, but he at least turned to face the wizard holding him.

"Severus."

Surprised at being addressed by the other wizard, the man merely raised an eyebrow, waiting to see what his former school mate would say. The werewolf returned his gaze towards the door and shook his head. "I'm going insane."

Severus exchanged a swift glance with the auror still standing besides them. "Not that I am the best judge for such a thing, Lupin, but I don't think you're more insane than you were the last time we saw each other. A bit more emotional, but that is only to be expected given the circumstances."

Lupin growled softly at him. "Then could you explain to me why I just saw Ronald Weasley entering that house?"

Kingsley drew in a sharp breath and quickly moved his gaze towards the red-head standing half forgotten in the shadows. He didn't seem surprised at those words and just returned the older man's gaze calmly. Facts were starting to come together in the auror's head when Severus answered the question. "You saw him because he just entered the house. Let's get you all inside and explain things since Dumbledore doesn't seem to have bothered doing it."

Bill snorted lightly. "No surprise there, Severus, you know how much the old man loves to put us in such situations."

The Potions Master rolled his eyes as he helped Lupin to stand up. "No kidding, the only surprise is that he didn't come himself to witness it."

Before one of his companions could answer, Neville stepped out of the house. "Ron said you needed a calming potion."

He handed the Potions Master a small vial and stayed standing at his side calmly holding his former professor's gaze. Severus opened the vial and gave it to the stunned werewolf. The man barely noticed the glass container and kept his gaze towards the boy.

"Neville."

The Gryffindor nodded with a small smile. "Professor Lupin, it's good to see you again."

Suddenly something seemed to penetrate the stunned man's brain. "You are fine."

Neville cocked his head, wondering where that obvious comment was leading. "Yes."

Lupin turned to face Bill. "And Ron is fine."

The red-head nodded, clearly puzzled. The werewolf turned sharply to Severus. "Where is Harry!"

The Potions Master barely had the time to motion towards the house when the over-excited werewolf rushed past him and into the room, the calming potion falling out of his hands and shattering against the ground. Severus sighed softly. "So much for a calming potion. Come on, we better go make sure he doesn't get lost in his rush."

To be continued...

A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie.


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery.

When they reached the living room, they saw Remus hugging Harry tightly. The teenagers was hugging the man back, gently patting his back as the werewolf seemed overcome by his emotions. At a silent signal from Severus, the other teenagers stood up and moved to the door, leaving the hugging pair alone.

Just before closing the door after them, Severus put a calming potion on a table, making sure Harry had noticed him doing so. Sighing, the dark haired potions master turned to his two guests and nodded to the stairs that led up to the rooms.

"Children, why don't you take Bill upstairs and show him his room; this way I will be able to tell Kingsley what has been going on. We'll be able to talk more calmly about everything in the morning."

The students nodded lightly and taking Bill in their midst, they led the way upstairs. Once they disappeared from sight, the professor turned to his companion.

"I'm sure that Harry will be able to explain everything to Remus, so how about we move this to my office?"

The auror shrugged. "As you wish, I have to admit that I'm very curious about what is going on since I assume that that were the members of the whole Gryffindor class that disappeared."

Severus nodded and led the way to his office. Once there, he took two glasses and filled them with firewisky before settling down next to Kingsley. The auror accepted the glass and waited patiently for the other man to gather his thoughts and explain.

It took Snape about an hour to completely detail everything that had been going on. The auror had mostly remained silent, asking a question here and there but otherwise listening intently. When he was finally finished, Severus allowed himself to relax against the couch. Kingsley sipped his firewisky, that had been refilled somewhere through the explanation.

"I have to say I am quite impressed about everything. I'm sure that your experiences in the Forest are going to interest a lot of people."

Severus shrugged. "Maybe, but first we would have to be able to talk about it, and for right now I would prefer to keep things quiet. The less people who know about us being here, the less problems we'll have."

Kingsley nodded pensively, his mind already thinking about something else while he stared into the fireplace. "Say Severus, how do you think the Forest would affect Voldemort in his new body?"

The Potions Master remained silent for a long while, considering the question carefully. "I'm not sure. His body is holding itself together with magic, without doubt, but the Forest doesn't get rid of your magic the moment you step in, it just prevents you from refilling your reserves. And even that is relative, the place is not completely without magic, the portals are certainly created by magic. It's more like the magic is tied to the Forest itself and only a very small part gets out, which is the one that we can use. As for the effect it would have on Voldemort, as I said I'm not sure, but I think that it wouldn't be different from the effect it has on another wizard, at least at first. I think that once he had used all his magic, his body wouldn't be able to hold himself together anymore, and he would die."

Kingsley grimaced. "Pity, it would have been the perfect solution."

Severus shook his head. "It still is a good solution, just as much as it would have been at any particular time. The only problem is to get the Dark Lord in there, and let me assure you, that that would be quite difficult."

The auror sat up a bit straighter. "But it could be done."

Severus shrugged. "Theoretically, yes, but I would like to see you come close enough to him to do something like that."

The other man sighed and rubbed his bald head. "And portkeys won't work."

Snape remained silent at that comment. When the children had disappeared, they had tried to make portkeys that zoomed to their location. Making a portkey directly to any part of the Forest was impossible, since the magic was too tightly wound for it to latch on. But what if… his mind was working frantically, he needed to talk to Hermione about this; maybe she would have an idea on how to pull this off.

The silence they had been in was broken by the soft sound of a door opening. They both turned and saw Harry standing there.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. Can I talk to you later, Uncle Sev?"

The dark haired potions master motioned the boy inside. "Come in, Child, we were done talking anyway."

The teenager stepped into the room and went to sit on the floor next to Snape. For some time he remained silent, and Severus knew he would have to start the conversation.

"How is Lupin doing, Harry?"

The boy smiled slightly. "He's sleeping now, I told him everything, but I think we will have to go over it again, it didn't look like much went through to him."

Snape nodded. "It certainly must have been a shock to him. Did you give him a sleeping potion?"

"Yes. I didn't think he would sleep well without it." After a short silence, the young wizard started again. "Say, Uncle Sev, I've been thinking..."

A groan from above him made him stop. "Merlin save us all."

"Uncle Sev! Be nice."

The dark haired man raised an eyebrow. "Are you actually asking me to be nice? What has the world come to?"

The teenager glared up to him. "Oh, shut up, you know what I mean." Before the man could make another remark, Harry quickly pressed forth. "I was thinking that maybe we should tell the families of the others that we're here."

Snape frowned. "Harry, we've gone over this already, it's much safer this way."

The boy nodded. "I know, but, what if tomorrow Dumbledore comes and says that Mrs. Weasley was killed? Or Mr. Thomas? How can we keep the others from their families when they can be killed at any given moment?"

Severus' frown deepened and Kingsley looked slightly surprised. "The boy has a point."

The Potions Master rubbed his forehead in thought. "I know; I'll have to talk to Dumbledore. There must be a way to let them know but keep them safe and quiet at the same time."

Harry looked up. "Couldn't we bring them here? There surely is place enough."

Snape shook his head. "No, that wouldn't be a good idea, at least not for a long while and not all at the same time. Someone would easily figure things out if all your parents or relatives suddenly went missing."

Harry pressed his lips tightly together. He knew the man was right, of course, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "When will you be able to talk to the Headmaster?"

Severus shrugged lightly. "I'll send a house-elf to him tomorrow morning, asking him to come by so we can talk privately."

The teenager wizard nodded in agreement. He was feeling impatient and would have wanted to get it over with at the same moment. But one glance at his watch told him that it was too late to call the old wizard. The man was hopefully sleeping right now. That thought immediately led to a large yawn, that made the auror who had been talking with the Potions Master smile.

"It seems someone is tired."

Harry blinked up at him, trying to glare, but was interrupted by another yawn. Severus chuckled softly and gently prodded the boy to a standing position.

"Come on, Harry, to bed with you. Today has been a long day and tomorrow will probably be longer."

The teenager groaned but knew that the man was probably right, so with a wave to both men, he left the room to go to his bed.

When the door had closed after him, Kingsley turned his face to Severus. "Interesting young man. I had heard you hated each other."

Snape snorted. "That one was my fault for being childish, not that I would admit it to any of them. But time alone with the kids and a need to survive do wonders to unrequited hatred. The boy only reacted to how I acted towards him. Change that and the hatred disappeared very quickly."

Kingsley nodded in understanding, and with a final sip to his glass, he stood up. "It's getting late, can you show me to where I'll be staying?"

The other man stood up. "Of course, come on."

To be continued...

A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to Vinnie for her wonderful beta-reading


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery.

The next morning, Severus woke rather early despite the late night. Stretching lazily, he went about his morning ritual before going to the living room. To his surprise, he was not the first one there.

"Good morning, Hermione."

The girl looked up from the book she had been reading and smiled to him. "Morning, Uncle Severus."

"Did you sleep well? I thought Poppy had told you to take it easy."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Just because I'm up early doesn't mean I'm not taking it easy. After all, I'm sitting here and reading, how can that be tiring?"

Severus chuckled as he poured himself a hot cup of tea. "Don't let her hear you say something like that. I'm afraid that Poppy thinks that being in bed is the only way to rest."

Hermione muttered something under her breath about the nurse, but otherwise she went back to her book. About ten minutes later, when Severus felt awake enough to have a coherent discussion, he approached the idea that Kingsley had given him the night before.

"Hermione."

The girl looked up from her book once again, and when she saw his serious face, she put the heavy tome away and gave him all her attention. "What is it, Uncle?"

The older man sipped his tea, gathering his thoughts. "I was talking to Kingsley yesterday. He's the man that came with Bill and Remus. After telling him about the Forest, he started to wonder what effect it would have on Voldemort's newly resurrected body."

Hermione frowned deeply. "Well, if we could make sure he used his magic, and if magic is really holding him together, and then I guess it might destroy him. Of course, I have no idea what would happen to his soul."

Snape nodded in agreement. "His body is indeed held together by magic, I don't think he'll ever be able to change that. As for his soul, without the added magic that comes from him, it shouldn't be able to remain behind."

The girl nodded and immediately latched onto the problem he had seen last night. "But how do we get him there? And how do we make sure he uses magic? His reserves are enormous, it would take a bit of time to get him to exhaust them and how do we know he wouldn't manage to get out, as improbable as it sounds."

Snape sighed. "Those are the main problems. I know that making portkeys to the Forest itself is impossible, because the magic is so tightly bound around the trees that our magic can't attach itself to it. But I have been thinking, what if we managed to somehow make some kind of focus stone in which we store magic? A focal point for portkeys to latch on."

Hermione looked deeply in her cup of tea, her mind flying over the different possibilities. "It would have to be really strong, the Forest would dampen any outgoing magical energy or maybe even nullify it completely, but I guess it would be worth a try. Someone would have to go in again to place the portkey, and we would have to be there to make sure Voldemort really kills himself if we manage to get him in there."

Snape shivered at the thought but nodded anyway. He had hated the feeling of magic being his enemy, but it was a fact that if they had to do something like this it would be better to do it sooner rather than later. Their skills were now honed and they would lessen the more time they spent safely outside the Forest.

"I think we should try. It might make things much easier."

The girl nodded, already trying to come up with some kind of stone or other device that would be able to store such a large amount of magic. When Dean entered the living room, she immediately started to talk to him about her ideas. Severus watched in amusement as the boy simply nodded at her from time to time, while his face clearly said he didn't understand a single thing.

Slowly, the room started to fill with sleepy people. Hermione had drawn Harry to a side and was talking to him softly. It seemed that at least the boy was awake enough to try and understand what his excited friend was talking about. Severus' attention was drawn away from the people moving around the room when someone sat heavily next to him. Remus looked completely out of it, due probably to the sleeping potion he had drunk the night before. Knowing how the other man felt, the Potions Master made him a cup of tea and without anyone noticing, he laced it with a bit of pepper up potion. After all, they needed the werewolf aware of his surroundings.

When everyone was in the room and had started on their respective breakfast, Severus spoke up and quickly explained why the three men were there. While the students finished their breakfast, the four men quickly made up their plans. It was decided that Severus would stay completely out of the training since the man knew that if he were present, he would probably interfere. They would separate the children in three different groups based mainly on their magical power and how much it had grown. Kingsley would take Harry and Parvati; he was used to draw up untapped potential and both youths were the ones with the highest magical signature from them all. Remus would take Neville, Ron, and Dean. The three boys had gone through a severe increase of power, specially Neville, and this way Bill wouldn't have to deal with his brother since the young man admitted that he might be tempted to pay more attention to him than to the other teens. That left Hermione, Lavender, and Seamus under Bill's tutelage.

Once they had all finished their breakfasts, a house-elf led the teenagers with their new teachers to the training room they had used the other day. The auror put wards around the room, separating three spaces so they could proceed with the training without getting in the way of the other groups. Once everyone was settled, he turned to his two charges and with a small sound, he let himself fall to the floor, motioning for the two youths to do the same.

"Madam Pomfrey has told me that the two of you have been uncovering your potential during your time in the Forest. What we're going to do first will be to try and determine if all your magic has surfaced or if you still have untouched reserves in you." Seeing their nervous faces, he let a small smile come to his lips. "Don't worry about it, it may be a bit difficult at first but all aurors go through this before starting their training so I have got plenty of experience."

That seemed to be the right thing to say. The teenagers relaxed and got more comfortable on the floor.

"Now, I want you to close your eyes; you're safe here so don't worry about your surroundings. Just try and focus your senses to yourself."

His voice acquired a melodic cadence and he saw Harry and Parvati relax even more. Slowly he talked them through the whole meditation process. A soft gasp coming from the girl, told him she had found her magical core. He told her to look at it intently, just observe the flux as the magic ran through her. Once she was settled, he continued his talk like before, waiting for any indication that Harry had reached the same state as his companion.

Ten minutes later, the auror was sure that the two youths were deeply focused on their magical core. "Now, try to keep your mind there, ok?" When he was acknowledged by two dreamy voices, he turned his attention to Parvati. "Ok, Parvati, tell me what you're seeing."

The girl immediately started to speak. "I'm floating in darkness, it seems to be a infinite space of darkness. The only light comes from a bright ball in front of me. Well, it's more like the centre of a very large web that reaches out all around me. It's bright blue sprinkled with silver shades. I think it's the most beautiful thing that I've ever seen before. Is that my magic?"

Kingsley nodded, even if neither Harry nor Parvati saw him. "Yes, that's right. The web representation is the usual pattern for magic. Harry, is it the same for you?"

The boy cocked his head slightly. His eyes were still closed but he acted like he was looking at something intently. "There's a web too, but there seem to be two centres, closely pressed together. One is white, with gold edges; it is very beautiful and very bright. The other one is green. It is slightly dull and not as large as the other one. It kind of reminds me of the colour of the killing curse." As if realising what he had just said, his body tensed slightly. "That's my link to Voldemort, isn't it? The part of him that remained in me when he tried to kill me."

Kingsley looked at the calm, young face a bit unsettled. He knew from Dumbledore that the boy shared a link with the Dark Lord but for it to show into his own magical core meant that he had to have a part of his magic. "I think so, Harry. What colour are the tendrils that come out of the centres?"

The teenager frowned slightly. "They're mostly white, they're surrounding the green energy nearly completely, only a few green streaks run across the space. It feels a bit as if the white magic has been trying to swallow the green one."

"That's probably your body trying to process the strange magic, but the different nature of it makes it difficult. Only a bit of it must have filtered into your own magic, showing as gifts or the bond that you share with the Dark Lord, those are represented by the green tendrils. Maybe, with time and training, you could manage to get rid of the core of green magic, but for right now I think it will better if we don't touch it, less your own magic becomes unbalanced."

Looking down at his watch, he noticed that it had nearly been five hours till they started. Deciding it had been more than enough for the day, Kingsley started to speak softly again, drawing both teenagers away from their cores.

Harry slowly followed the calm voice outside of himself. He didn't know how long it took for him to withdraw completely, but he knew he had managed when a sharp light blinded his eyes, and a fierce headache assaulted his senses. Groaning, he sagged against the floor, allowing the cool stone to sooth his flushed face. He heard Parvati breathing heavily at his side, but he was too tired to do much about it. He felt a hand move around his back and sitting him up and he was soon leaning against the auror. With the man's help, the two teenagers manager to get on their feet and started to move to the door.

A house-elf met them there and Kingsley softly ordered him to show him the way up to their rooms. They first entered the room that Parvati shared with Lavender and saw that the other girl was already there, talking quietly with Severus. The Potions Master looked slightly alarmed when he saw the two teenagers leaning limply against the auror.

"What on earth happened?"

With Severus' help, Kingsley settled Parvati on the bed. "Don't worry, Severus, they're just exhausted."

The man glared at him. "I can see that, but why?"

The auror smiled slightly at the overprotective tone the man used. "I took them to their magical core, they did really well, but it is usually an exhausting trip, especially the first time." Turning to the girl lying with her eyes closed on the bed, he gently placed a hand on her forehead. "Parvati."

Slightly dazed eyes opened and looked up at him. "Sleep."

Kingsley chuckled slightly. "In a few minutes. I want you to eat something first, ok? And then you can sleep all you want, tomorrow will be another day."

The girl nodded and Severus and the auror left her in the care of her friend. The two adults then went to Harry's room and settled the young wizard into his bed. After Snape made sure he had eaten as much as he could, he tucked him in and called in an elf so he would keep an eye on him. Then, both men went to his study, where the werewolf and Bill were waiting for them to have lunch together and talk about what had happened that morning.

To be continued...

A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to Vinnie for beta-reading this.


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

A/N: Aqui teniu el meu regal de reis XD.

Forest of Mystery.

After the four adults had had lunch together, the three teachers explained to Severus what each of them had done that morning with the children, which they then all went their separate ways. The Potions Master went to check on the children. Parvati was still fast asleep on her bed, and Lavender had joined her there. The morning hadn't gone very well for the brown haired girl, she had gotten very frustrated, and Bill hadn't known how to handle her. While being an older brother gave him a lot of experience, patience was not something he usually applied when trying to keep his wild brothers in line. Therefore it had been decided that Lavender would change places with Dean and continue learning with Remus, who would most likely know how to deal with her. Checking the other rooms for the children, he only found Harry asleep in his bed, but the other ones were empty. Guessing the other teenagers were around the house, he summoned a house-elf and asked about their whereabouts.

It seemed Neville had found his way to his indoors greenhouse and had cajoled Seamus into going with him. Dean and Ron were in the living room playing chess, and Hermione, not very surprising, was in the library. Remembering what they had talked about that morning, Severus decided to go see what she was up to. If the solution of Voldemort's demise was in the Forest, then they would be the ones to pull it off.

If it hadn't been for the stack of books lying on one of his usually tidy tables, Severus wouldn't have seen the girl. She was completely hidden behind two very high piles of books, and the Potions Master couldn't help but wonder how they managed to keep themselves upright. When he circled the table, he saw three books spread out in front of the girl. Looking over her shoulder, he noticed that two of them were about portkeys and how their magic worked in order to transport people to the place they wanted to go while the third book was Hermione's notebook of their theories about the Forest. The girl had insisted they should record everything that had happened while they were there, and Severus was sure that when everyone found out about their survival, the notebook would be turned into a book for everyone to read.

"How is it going?"

Hermione, who had been so absorbed in her notes that she hadn't heard the man approach her, jumped out of her chair and rounded to face him, hand already on her forearm where she used to wear her dagger. When she recognised him, she sagged in relief in her chair.

"Merlin, Uncle Sev, don't do that."

The older man shook his head. "For someone used to hear even the air moving, you sure seemed oblivious."

His former student glared up at him. "I was trying to concentrate on this book. Besides, you seem to forget that you seem to manage to move without moving the air. How you do that is beyond me, but if you were silent before we went to the Forest, now you're almost undetectable."

Snape's black eyes glinted in amusement. It had irked him the first few weeks in the Forest, that he couldn't approach any of the children without them noticing. After the annoyance had gone, he had worked on his movements to make them even smoother than they naturally were and, while he couldn't surprise the children if they were alert, he managed to sneak up on them when they were engrossed in something. Deciding to let the matter drop, he nodded towards the books.

"How are things going? Have you found anything yet?"

Hermione bit her lip and looked thoughtfully towards her books, not really seeing them as she thought how to best explain her thoughts. "The main problem about creating a portkey to the Forest is that you can't manage to latch it to anything remotely magical. Even when porting to the muggle world, the magic in the air is enough to stabilise the portkey's magic. The Forest keeps all the magic tightly bound to itself, to the trees and creatures that live in there so in the end it doesn't have a magic spot to focus on and that causes the magic of a portkey to go unstable and the portkey explodes"

Snape nodded, while he had never wondered about the theoretical workings of portkeys, what the girl said made sense. "So, what we need is a focus, right?"

Hermione nodded slightly. "Yes, but that's going to be difficult. It needs to be a strong enough focus that it nullifies the Forest's magical dampeners." Hesitating, the girl added the conclusion she had come to. "I don't think there's anything within the Forest that could work."

Snape, who was watching her every emotion, detected the trepidation in her voice. "There isn't, no, but something could be placed there."

Hermione gave a slight nod. "Some kind of focus stone that emitted enough magical power to stabilise the portkey's power."

Severus pressed his lips together. "Someone would need to go in there again."

The Gryffindor girl didn't bother to assent; it hadn't be a question after all, just a statement of fact.

Snape leaned against the table, careful to not upset all the books. "I don't like it."

His companion shook her head. "Me neither." She motioned towards the books. "I've been trying to find another way, but everyone agrees that for a portkey to work, it needs magic to focus on."

They both remained silent for a long while, trying to come up with some other solution, but nothing came to mind. Finally, Snape sighed and straightened up. "We'll talk to the others tonight. I don't like the idea of going back to the Forest yet since it's the best solution we've found till now to get rid of the Dark Lord, it would be stupid to just throw it aside."

Hermione stretched and nodded in agreement. "But, if we're going to do this, we should do it soon." At Snape's questioning look, she pointed to her eyes. "We're still able to see the portals, but for how long? Whatever it was that gave us the ability, we're no longer consuming it, so who knows if its permanent or that it will go away in time?"

The Potions Master nodded. "You have a point, there's no sense in risking it. We'll decide tonight."

With those parting words, the man turned around and left the library. After a glance to the books she had been using, Hermione started to put everything back in place, she hoped they would be able to manage to do this.

That same evening, when Kingsley, Bill, and Remus had retired to their rooms for the night, the children gathered in the living room. Harry and Parvati still seemed quite tired, but they had both insisted that the meeting be held that day, sensing it was important. They talked for a while about the morning, the different methods the three men had been using and how they had coped with them. Snape joined them about ten minutes into the discussion, shaking his head at finding them sitting on the floor in front of the fire.

"You realize that the couches are to sit on, right?"

And with a pointed look towards his charges, he sat in the middle of one, instead of the armchair he usually preferred. With muffled laughs, the Gryffindors stood from the floor and started to sit on the chairs spread through the room, with Harry and Dean claiming the places on either side of the Potions Master. Once everyone was settled once again, Severus nodded towards Hermione, who was sitting opposite of him, to start explaining.

They talked deep into the night, trying to come up with a feasible plan that convinced them all. Around three in the morning, Snape sent them all to bed, having made all the plans they could for now, they would need to start implementing them soon.

The next few days passed normally as they settled into a steady routine. In the morning, the children would spend their time with their teachers while Severus started brewing potions for the Headmaster. The evenings were mostly spent in the library, trying to find some kind of object that would be able to store and amplify enough magic to be sensed through the forest's barriers. They had already come up with some solutions to the problem, but they wanted to have different options before they ventured into the Forest. While they were sure they could get out again, none of them wanted to risk too many trips into their once prison.

Around mid October, Severus put a stop on their research. It was high time to act if they wanted to pull this off before winter started. If it started to snow, it would be unsafe for them to enter the Forest and they would have to wait till spring.

Knowing that at least Remus would have grave misgivings about them entering the Forest again, they decided to keep things quiet as they had done till then. After everyone had retired for the night, the teenagers and Severus gathered in the room Lavender and Parvati shared, papers and folders in hand. For a long while they argued about the different possibilities and in the end, they settled on the two that seemed the most probable of working. The first one, and the one they placed more faith on, was a modification of a power stone so that it wouldn't only store the power they placed on it but that it would also amplify that power. The main problem was that to make the magic stable so that it wouldn't overwhelm the stone and break it, they would need to bathe the power stone in a complicated potion. Severus had assured them that that wouldn't be a problem, so the only thing they needed to do was get their hands on the power stone. The second option was a complicated pattern of runes they would have to draw on the forest's ground in hopes that it would allow magic to settle on the point they were drawn. Theoretically, that should work, but they were afraid that if Voldemort portkeyed too close to the runes, he would be able to use his magic to apparate out of the Forest.

Once they had all agreed, they moved on the subject of who would go to the Forest to create the focus points, and who would stay in the Manor to create the portkeys. Much to Severus' dislike, the children had decided that he would be the one creating the portkeys, since he had done it before. That meant he would have to remain at the Manor, which he didn't like one bit. His protests fell on deaf ears, and he couldn't really fight against the logic of the decision. Unless they involved another adult in their plans, they would need someone who could make a portkey flawlessly. Grumbling under his breath, the older man sat back as the children decided that Hermione, Parvati, Seamus, and Ron would be the ones entering the Forest. Seamus and Ron were the two strongest boys in the group and would act as bodyguards for the two girls. Parvati, who had been the one to draw all the maps, would go along to guide them as she had done before. The fact that she possessed a lot of magic and that she had learned quite a lot with Kingsley also helped. Lastly, Hermione would go with them to draw the runes, as she had been the one to figure out the correct pattern that would allow them to reach their goal.

Harry wasn't very happy either about being left behind, but it had been decided that he would be the one placing the power within the power stones, and Severus was quite sure he wouldn't be able to leave so soon after expending so much magic. Neville, Dean, and Lavender didn't really care if they were left out, Neville's only petition was for the four adventurers to get as many seeds as possible on their way back so that he could continue with his studies of the plants that grew in the Forest.

An hour later, they each went to their own rooms, tired but satisfied that everything was planned out. Now they would just need to wait for Severus to make his potion, and then they would be able to get a move on.

To be continued...

A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to Vinnie for her work beta-reading this.


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

_Warning: This chapter hasn't been beta-read yet, I'll change it as soon as I get the corrected version back._

Forest of Mystery.

Two days after they late-night meeting, Albus showed up at the Manor while they were having dinner. Severus, a bit startled by his sudden appearance, invited him to sit down and eat with them. A house-elf popped in and added a serving on the table and the old man settled down with a small smile on his face. The chatter resumed between their teenagers, trying to suppress their curiosity at the Headmaster's presence. Once everyone was done, Albus requested a meeting with Severus, Kingsley and Remus, so the three men retired to the Potion Master's study to talk.

Ron, who had settled with his brother to play a game of chess, looked over his friends, who were all engaged in different activities.

"What do you think that was about?"

Lavender, who had been combing Shirleena's fur, frowned slightly. "I don't know, maybe something has happened at Hogwarts?"

All the teenagers frowned at that thought, but Bill quickly dispelled it. "I don't think the Headmaster would have taken the time to have dinner with us if there was something going on at the school."

Harry nodded. "He's got a point; Dumbledore would have just summoned Uncle Sev and the others if that was the case."

A few other ideas were tossed back and forth more for the sake of conversation than for a real hope to guess what the Headmaster wanted. It was not like anyone could usually understand the older man's actions. They had all settled down to their activities and some of them were even considering going to their rooms when the adults returned. Dumbledore had seemingly gone back to Hogwarts, since he was not there, but had left the three men with deep frowns on their faces. Looking back and forth between his friends and his mentors, Dean finally found his Gryffindor courage and was the first to break the tense silence.

"Is there something wrong, Uncle Sev?"

The man sat down with a sigh, rubbing his eyes lightly before looking at the children sprawled over his living room floor. "How many times have I asked you to sit on chairs?"

Groaning, Hermione and Neville complied with the implied request and went to sit on chairs while the other teenagers sprawled on the ground just remained there. Seeing that it was not worth getting into an argument with the children and knowing that he was just trying to gain some time, Severus shook his head and let the matter drop, addressing the question he had been asked.

"There's nothing really wrong, actually, I think you'll be quite pleased with the news Albus brought me."

The teenagers shared a confused look, but returned their attention to their former Potions Professor.

"Albus considered that since Voldemort is still on a killing spree and that anything could happen before he is brought down, you will be allowed to see your families, despite the danger that might put us in."

Several of the teenagers took in deep breaths of surprise. They had resigned themselves to not be able to see their relatives for a long while and now they were being offered the possibility to do just that much sooner than what they had expected. Hermione, that despite her growing longing still was able to keep a cool head, questioned the older man.

"How are we going to do this? I assume we don't want to draw attention?"

Kingsley, who had been sitting silently till now, nodded in agreement. "That's correct. We can't get them here because that might compromise our position and you really need a safe place to stay till Voldemort is dead. Remus and I will take a few of you each day to a safe house, where you will be able to visit with your closest family for a day before coming back here."

Harry and Neville, who, while happy for they friends, weren't as excited about it, exchanged a calculating look. That might be their chance, if they managed to arrange the different visits in a certain pattern, they would be able to sneak into the forest and out of it without anyone noticing. Severus seemingly had had the same idea.

The Potions Master took out a small paper and looked it over before talking again. "We've already organised the order in which you will be meeting your family. Tomorrow, Ron and Hermione will go, Harry will go with them since I'm certain Molly Weasley will be upset if he doesn't show up."

The smaller teenager rolled his eyes, knowing the man was probably right. Glancing at Ron, to see if he minded, he was a bit startled to see a slightly relieved look on his face. Seeing the puzzlement in his friend's face, the red-head shrugged lightly.

"Don't think I won't be glad to see mom, Harry, it's just that I prefer to share her enthusiasm so that I'm not her only victim."

That comment drew several laughs from his companions, specially from Bill, who knew exactly what the younger boy meant. After the laughter died down, Snape looked down at his list again.

"The day after that will be the turn of Seamus, Parvati and Lavender, and after that Dean will be allowed to see his family." The older man turned to watch the other orphaned boy besides Harry. Neville was looking out of the window, not moving and seemingly not paying any attention. "Neville."

He had to repeat the boy's name again before he turned around to look up at him, a lost look on his face. While Harry was in his same situation, he at least had the Weasleys to visit and he had been left with no one except for a few distant cousins he had barely met before. The Potions Master walked closer to him and put an arm around his shoulders. "If you want, we can contact one of your cousins to visit with you." The boy shook his head, it wouldn't be the same and he had no wish to feel their pity. The older man smiled slightly. "Well, then maybe you would prefer to go to Greenstead with Bill?"

The boy's head snapped up, his eyes opened wide in amazement. Bill, who didn't know anything about this, just raised an eyebrow, waiting to see what that was about. He knew that Greenstead held one of the most important herbolary research labs with hundreds of greenhouses attached to the property, but he wasn't sure why they should go there.

Neville was barely able to contain his excitement at the news. "To Greenstead? Really?"

Severus smiled softly. "The Headmaster said Professor Sprout was in need to several new exemplars for her classes but she didn't have the time to go to Greenstead herself in the middle of the schoolyear. Albus thought you might like to go, he has arranged for you to meet Professor Hyder, who is one of the top researchers in his area. He will show you around and you might want to show him your discoveries on the plants of the Forest. Without telling him where you've gotten them from, of course."

Nevilles pleasure filled face nodded eagerly. He had always dreamed about going to the Research Centre, and he was quite sure that the Potions Master had a hand in this trip. He quickly stood up and hugged the older man tightly, who returned the hug warmly. The other teenagers smiled relieved, having felt bad at their lack of forethought. Bill, on his part, shrugged lightly. He felt someone should have asked his opinion first, but at seeing Neville's face he let it go. After all he would have said yes anyway.

The next day Ron was the first one up, much to his surprise. He was nervous, Kingsley had told them they would not only be meeting his mother and father, but also most of his siblings. Percy wouldn't be there, Bill had told him there had been a fight between their parents and the other boy, and since then Percy hadn't been in contact with his family. Ron was a bit sad about it, the older boy was his brother after all, but he couldn't say he was surprised about it. The other one who would be missing was Ginny. She was still at school and could hardly miss a day of classes without raising some questions.

He had been mussing over the subject of Percy for about half an hour when he was joined by Neville. The other boy was still dressed in his pyjamas and immediately served himself a cup of tea before nodding towards his red-headed companion.

"Good morning, you're up early."

Ron grunted, making Neville smile slightly.

"Nervous?"

The red-head rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, my mother is going to go nuts."

Neville smiled slightly. "I'm sure that despite that you are looking forward to seeing her."

Ron nodded, a small smile now playing on his lips. "Yeah, she can be bossy and overprotective, but she is still my mum, you know?"

A sad light entered the other boy's eyes. "Yeah, I know."

A small touch to his arm drew Neville away from his dark thoughts. "Are you sure you're alright about this, Nev?"

The other boy shrugged and smiled slightly. "I'm fine, the pain of not having parents will always be there, but it's not like I'm alone. I have all of you, you're my brothers and sisters, and we all have Severus. I'm sure he was the one to organise my trip."

Ron nodded in agreement. "It seems more than likely."

Neville looked deep into his cup. "I am fine, in fact, personally I believe that Harry has it worse than I."

Ron blinked and looked up at the other boy, a frown etched on his face. "Harry will be with us."

Neville raised a hand lightly. "Don't take it the wrong way, Ron, I'm sure your parents will be glad to see Harry too, but that doesn't change the fact that they are your parents. Severus arranged that trip specially for me, you and the others are going to see your own families, but Harry will have to settle with coming second to you. I think that that might be harder than to not be there at all." At Ron's troubled frown, Neville patted his arm. "Don't worry about it, maybe I'm wrong, but I think that that is how I would feel. I would just caution you to try and include Harry as much as you can today, you know how he is, if he thinks that he's in the way he'll withdraw and sit in the smallest corner he can find to not draw attention to him."

A voice joined them from the entrance. "Don't worry, Neville, we won't allow him to hide away."

Both boys looked at Hermione, dressed in muggle clothes. She walked to their side and sat next to Neville. "You're both up early."

Ron shrugged. "I was too nervous to sleep anymore, I was just rolling around in my bed, trying to find a comfortable position, but it was no use, so I decided I might as well get up."

The girl nodded in understanding. She had been reading in her room for the last two hours, so she knew exactly how he was feeling. Turning to their friend, she patted his hand gently. "Don't worry about Harry, Neville, we'll make sure to keep an eye on him. Besides, I would be surprised if Severus didn't show up at some point to make sure everything is going alright. The man is most protective of the two of you, he wouldn't have allowed Harry to come with us if he thought he might be hurt."

Both boys nodded in agreement, slightly amused grins dancing on their faces. Ron was about to comment, but they heard voices approaching, so with a silent glance to each other, they let the matter drop.

To be continued...

A/N: Thanks to all reviews.


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were gathered in front of a large fireplace with Remus and Kingsley. Bill had gone ahead to go gather his family and take them to the safe-house while Dumbledore would take care of getting the Grangers to their destination. Once they were there, Fawkes would come to signal that everything was ready, and they would be on their way. Ron was pacing nervously, trying to find the right words to say to his parents, especially his mother, when he first saw them. Hermione, while not obviously nervous, was playing with his skirt, a sure sign that she wasn't as calm as she would like to be.

Harry watched the two half amused, half concerned. Earlier that morning, he had talked to Severus, thinking it might be better if he just remained at the Manor. After all, he felt like he was intruding on a family moment. The Potions Master had glared down at him in such a way that Harry was reminded just why the man used to terrify him. After the glare, Snape had told him in plain words that he was going since he wasn't planning on facing Mrs. Weasley's wrath if she didn't see Harry with her son. Both, Ron and Hermione had fully agreed with the older man as soon as they had heard what their friend had been thinking. Finally, the matter had been settled when Hermione, seeing that Harry still had doubts, had put her best helpless face and told him she would really need his support. Harry had to chuckle at the memory. Even if he knew that he was being manipulated, he just couldn't say no when she pouted that way.

Harry was snapped out of his daze when Hermione's voice broke the silence.

"Ron! Sit down or your mother will get to see you with a nice, black eye!"

The tall red-haired boy stopped his pacing and blinked at her; his brain seemingly trying to process what the girl had said. Harry shook his head and tried to contain his chuckles. Luckily, Fawkes chose just that moment to appear in a burst of light, making Hermione jump to her feet as if something had bitten her. Harry and the two adults followed suit and together they advanced to the fireplace. Kingsley smiled to the children.

"Let me go first and give me five minutes. I think it will be better if they are at least a bit prepared for this."

Hermione shifted nervously. "That might be a good idea, but won't Bill have done that already?"

The bald auror raised an eyebrow. "Can you imagine him trying to explain something like this to his mother? Completely unable to go into details? I think Bill is a brave guy, but not that brave."

Ron let out a half strangled laugh, knowing exactly what the other man meant. His mother could be terrifying when she didn't get clear answers. After nodding to the teenagers and reminding them to wait five minutes, Kingsley stepped through the fireplace, arriving at the safe-house's living room. All the attention was drawn to him almost even before he had fully stepped out of the fire-place.

Molly and Arthur rose from their chairs and went to greet him.

"Hello, Kingsley." After shaking Arthur's hand and kissing Molly on the cheek, the woman turned to a slightly younger couple.

"David, Ashley, this is Kingsley Schakebolt; he's one of the aurors working closely with Headmaster Dumbledore. I don't know if you've had a chance to meet him yet."

The man, who looked quite a bit like Hermione, nodded his head to the auror and went to shake his hand. "Yes, we met after the children's disappearance."

His words caused a dark silence to settle over the room. No one had gotten over the children's disappearance. Bill shifted nervously, looking towards Kingsley. Molly, not noticing the glance, shook her head as if trying to dispel her dark thoughts.

"So, do you have any idea why we are here? Bill only told us that Dumbledore wanted us to meet someone." Glaring at the direction of her oldest son, she added. "He was quite tight lipped about the whole matter."

Kingsley smirked slightly as the redheaded man shifted nervously under his mother's stern gaze. "Don't blame him, Molly; he was under strict instructions to not let anyone know about anything before you got all here. It was not safe to talk in an unwarded place."

Arthur sighed; sometimes he got so tired of all the needed secrecy. "So, I assume it has something to do with You-Know-Who?"

The auror cocked his head slightly. "Not very much, but if the information was to come out there would be trouble. As long as they remain hidden, we have an advantage over Voldemort that he would never dream about."

Arthur and Molly exchanged a curious glance at the satisfied glint in the auror's eyes. The woman crossed her arms and shot the bald man an exasperated look. "Are you going to tell us about this mysterious person any time soon?"

Hearing the fireplace come to life behind him, the man smiled and shook his head. "I guess you'll see for yourself."

Stepping aside and watched as a female figure appeared in the room. He helped her to step out of the fireplace while watching the reactions of the people gathered in the room. His attention was drawn to Ashley and David. Polite curiosity was very slowly transforming into stunned recognition. Hermione's mother wavered in her place as her eyes were trying to convince her mind that what she was seeing was indeed real. David's hand came up to steady her, but a quick glance at her husband showed that his gaze was also intent on the girl.

The girl moved to a side and watched as the hope that had started to grow in the others' eyes transformed into certainty when the fire flared again and the tall redhead stepped into the room.

Molly, not knowing how to react, fell back into her seat while her heart tried to convince her head of what she was seeing. The moment the youth had stepped into the room, she had known for sure that he was her little boy. And yet, her mind was telling her it was impossible. Arthur put a comforting hand on her shoulder and without removing his eyes from the two teenagers he addressed the silent auror.

"Kingsley?"

The redhead's voice wavered with uncertainty, filled with emotion, and the auror knew he didn't want to voice the question for fear of the answer it would get. Knowing it was time to intervene, the bald man moved slightly, drawing the other adults' attention to him, even if it was rather reluctantly. Kingsley looked over them, wondering what he should tell them, but finally he settled for the simplest thing they would understand right now.

"It's ok, it is really them."

The words acted like a counter curse. Molly jumped from her seat and threw herself to the youngest boy, who, having anticipated this reaction, quickly threw his arms around her neck and buried his face in her shoulder, looking for the comfort he had missed for the last few months.

Finally understanding that this was really happening, Ashley did the only thing her overwhelmed mind could do at the moment and burst into tears. Hermione, who had been standing silently till then, immediately dropped on her knees in front of her and threw her arms around her middle.

"Don't cry, Mum, it's alright, everything is alright."

No one besides Kingsley noticed as the fire flared green once again and another young man entered the room. Harry, seeing the emotion charged people hugging each other, moved to a window and started to look outside. Looking at his friends at a moment like this felt like intruding so he decided to keep himself away for the moment, trying to ignore the pang of loneliness that filled him. Kingsley silently moved to his side and leaned against the wall, trying to give the boy his silent support. He knew it must be hard for him to be there, and he also knew that voicing his worries would only bother the boy more. So the auror remained at Harry's side, silently looking between the dark haired boy and the two reunited families. He was soon joined by Remus, who had been the last one to step into the room. The werewolf silently put an arm around Harry's shoulders, willing the boy to remember that he wasn't alone.

It took Arthur about ten minutes to finally disentangle his wife from his youngest son. When the woman finally stepped back, sniffing quietly into her conjured handkerchief, Arthur grabbed his son's shoulders and met his gaze intently. The clear blue eyes regarded the older man calmly, waiting for him to speak, yet Arthur remained silent. He was trying to find the son he thought he had lost within Ron's eyes, but his son had changed. Gone was the brazen, carefree child he had known a few months ago, in its place stood a strong young man, one he knew he would be proud to call his son. Smiling lightly, he took Ron into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"Welcome back, Son."

Ron had to press his eyes tightly together to prevent the tears from spilling again. He had been mentally prepared for an emotional encounter with his mother but he hadn't expected it from his father. He hadn't been very close to him. Actually, he thought none of his siblings really was. Arthur had to work too hard and didn't have the chance to spend much time at home. They all knew the man cared about them all, but he didn't have many chances to express it.

Hermione and David had moved from the floor and were now sitting next to Ashley. Both her parents were holding one of her hands tightly, quickly questioning her on her health while she tried to reassure them that she was doing well.

They were all startled when Molly, who had been drying her tears, finally spotted the third teenager.

"Harry!"

The boy had barely the time to turn around before he found himself tightly hugged. Remus smiled slightly and stepped back, knowing the woman had not even seen him standing there. Hermione and Ron shared a slightly guilty look. Despite their reassurances that morning to Neville, they had completely forgotten about their friend when finally reunited with their parents. Hermione couldn't help but feel grateful for Molly's exuberance. It was just what Harry needed to not feel like an outsider.

Harry, on the other hand was standing very still, enjoying the hug but not comfortable enough to hug the woman back. He glanced at Ron, wanting to make sure once again that his friend didn't have a problem with this, but his friend was talking quietly with his father. After a few minutes he gently stepped back and was grateful when the redheaded woman let go of him, he was starting to get uncomfortable under her strong embrace. Arthur had walked towards them with Ron and gently patted his shoulder and smiled to him in greeting. Then he took his wife by her elbow and gently led her to a couch. It was good to see the children, but while he still felt like he might burst of happiness at any given moment, the time had come to demand some answers.

Hermione, seeing that Harry and Ron were no longer with Molly and Arthur, stood up, and pulled her parents with her. The three walked to the two teenagers and the witch smiled.

"Mom, dad, I would like you to meet my best friends, Ron and Harry."

They all shook hands and exchanged a few words but it was clear that the Granger couple's attention was completely centred in their daughter. Hermione shrugged slightly and gave the two boys an apologetic smile. Harry was about to reassure her when Arthur spoke up from where he was sitting with his wife.

"I think I also speak for David and Ashley when I say that I would like to know how the children survived."

Those words brought the whole group back to reality and everyone sat down, ready to listen to the children. By silent agreement Hermione started to speak, trying to make them understand everything that had happened during the last few months.

It took Hermione nearly three hours to explain everything to the adults' satisfaction. Or rather to the Weasley's satisfaction, she had the sneaking suspicion that her parents hadn't understood much of what she said. She would have to go over everything with them later on, but that didn't matter, she now had the chance to talk to them as much as she wanted and to finally say the things she had feared she would never get to say again.

To be continued...

A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to Vinnie for beta-reading this.


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

A/N: This chapter is not beta-read.

Forest of Mystery.

The day with the Weasleys and the Grangers had gone well. As Hermione had predicted, Severus showed up after lunch and stayed with them till it was time to leave. The adults had been very reluctant to be separated from their children again, especially since there wouldn't be a chance to communicate with them for some time. Kingsley was grateful for Severus' presence. The man was able to reassure the concerned parents that he would take care of the children and that nothing would happen. In his head, the Potions Master was praying to all gods that he wasn't around when they found out he had allowed the children to go into the Forest again.

The next morning Parvati, Lavender and Seamus left with Kingsley and Remus for their meeting with their families. Hermione, Ron and Neville convinced Bill to go outside with them and help them create a swimming pool in the back yard. The night before Severus had reluctantly given his permission for the project since it would keep the older Weasley occupied while he and Harry worked on the power stone. He had been able to retrieve two power stones from the bowels of the manor, and early that morning he had bathed them with the potion he had been brewing for the last four days. Now the only thing they needed to do was fill them with power, which would be Harry's job.

When Severus saw that the three teenagers and Bill had started working, removing plants and herbs from his garden, he stood up from the table he had been sitting on. Harry, who had been lying on the ground, with his head propped up against Ion, sighed.

"It's time already?"

The tall man nodded slightly, extending a hand to help the teenager up. "Yes, lets hope everything goes well."

Harry just nodded as he stood up. Silently, they walked to an empty room. The houselves had been ordered to remove everything from the room, knowing that if Harry lost control of the magic it was going to lash out and destroy everything around the room.

Once in there, Severus took a small box from his robes and opened it. There, resting against a black cloth, were two small, grey stones. Harry raised an eyebrow when he saw them.

"They certainly don't look like much."

The potions Master shook his head and gently took one of them out. "You should know by now that appearances are deceiving, especially in our world."

Harry shrugged slightly, he knew that well enough, but that didn't keep him from being surprised from time to time. The boy watched as the Potions Master gave him the stone, careful not to drop it. "So, how do I put my magic in here? How will I know how much magic it can take?"

Snape closed the box, putting the second stone away for the time being, and looked at his charge.

"The stones can store the full magic of a dozen wizards, at least, so don't worry about over-doing it, there's no way you will be able to put that much magic into them. The true problem comes with putting it inside. You will need to concentrate as much magic as possible in your hands before releasing it into the stone in one single blast. That is very important, Harry. You need to pour all the magic in one blast, the moment magic enters the stone it will shut down and no one will be able to put more magic in there for a while."

Harry frowned, looking intently at the little stone he held in his hand. He had learned how to concentrate his magic under Kingsley's tutelage but this would be the first time he released the magic he concentrated. The thought that the little stone would have to hold the power that he released made him nervous. While he trusted Severus' word on the fact that that was a power stone, he knew that if it didn't hold, his power would be released into the room and the consequences wouldn't be pretty. He looked to where his mentor had been standing just a moment before and was surprised to not find him there. Moving his gaze around the room he finally found the tall, dark form of the Potions Master leaning against the far wall, looking at him intently.

Frowning, the boy shook his head. "Uncle Sev, you don't really think I'm going to try to store my magic in the stones with you in here. If I lost control I could severely injure you."

Snape scowled. He knew the boy was right but was very reluctant to leave him on his own. "I would prefer it if you weren't alone while attempting this, Harry."

The teenager's face softened. "I really appreciate it, Uncle, but it's really not wise. Please, wait for me outside."

Sighing, the tall man walked over to the closed door. "Shout if you need my help, understood?"

Harry nodded and waited till the door closed behind the man before returning his attention to the small stone he was holding. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and started to gather his magic in the hand holding the stone. He knew he needed to gather a large amount of magical energy for it to work, more than he had tried to do so far. He stood there for nearly an hour, gathering his strength and holding the magic tightly wound to his hand. If he had had his eyes open he would have notice a bright light surrounding his hand.

When he felt he couldn't control any more magic, he took a steadying breath and with a single thought he pushed all his magic inside the stone. As soon as the magic left his body, he was thrown back into the table from the backlash, and he crumpled to the floor, panting with exertion. Moving his head carefully so he was able to see the stone he still had in his hand, he became entranced with the beautiful sight. The previously grey stone had grown slightly in size and was now pulsing with an inner light that filled him with warmth. He hoped it would be enough to pierce the Forest' barriers because he didn't feel up to filling the second stone right now.He was so intent on the Power stone that he didn't hear the sound of the door opening.

Severus, who had been waiting impatiently outside the room, suddenly felt a great flash of power coming from inside and he knew that Harry had managed to fill the power stone. He waited outside for a few minutes, wondering if he should enter the room. When no sound came from inside, he carefully pushed the door open and looked through it. He gasped when he saw Harry lying on the ground and he quickly rushed to the boy's side.

The Potions Master was very relieved when he saw that the teen wasn't unconscious, but the dazed look in his eyes didn't help much.

"Harry?"

The boy didn't move to acknowledge him, his eyes still firmly fixed on the glowing stone. Severus gently took the stone from the younger man's lax hand.

Feeling the warmth produced from the gem leave him, Harry wanted to protest, but his voice was reduced to a weak whimper. He blinked and finally noticed the man kneeling beside him. For his part, the Slytherin had taken the box and locked both power stones securely inside before putting them in a pocked and returning his attention to the teenager still lying on the ground. He was relieved that the dazed look had somewhat left the boy's pale face.

"Harry?"

Severus put a hand gently against a clammy cheek and Harry immediately moved so he was leaning against the soft touch. "I'm going to lift you up, alright? I need to examine you but we'll be more comfortable in your own room."

The teenager nodded his head lightly, not able to find his voice yet.

Silently, Severus placed a levitation charm over the teenager and then lifted him into his arms. Cradling him tightly against his chest, they both left the bare room behind.

Harry was dozing against him when they reached the room that the younger wizard been assigned. Severus was a bit startled to see Hermione sitting in a chair, reading a thick book. The girl immediately jumped up when she heard them come in.

"Uncle Severus! Did everything go alright?" She moved worried eyes over her friend's small body. "Is Harry alright?"

The older man didn't bother to answer her questions yet. Instead he motioned towards the bed. "Help me settled him down, I need to look him over."

The girl immediately complied and pushed aside the covers so that the potions Master could lay the sleeping boy down. Once he was lying on the soft bed, Snape took his wand out of his pocked and started muttering spells over the teenager's head. Hermione shifted at his side, wanting to ask quite a few questions but knowing the man's attention was entirely focussed on the black haired wizard lying on the bed.

Once Severus finally stopped chanting he called a house-elf to his side and ordered it to settle the boy comfortably in bed and stay at his side till someone came to relieve him from its duty. Once Tallie nodded her head in understanding, the Potions Master gently took the girl's elbow and pushed her outside the room.

The pair silently moved to the library and settled down in two armchairs.

"Where is Bill? Why weren't you with them?"

Hermione pushed a bit of her hair behind her ear and started to serve the tea that had suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Ron, Neville and Bill are still outside; they started painting the swimming pool. Ron suggested they do it the muggle way so that they would take longer and it wasn't long before they started a paint war."

Severus nearly chocked on the tea he had been drinking. "A paint war? In my garden? If they have damaged anything they are going to clean it up the muggle way!"

Hermione chuckled softly, knowing Bill had placed protection charms around the area they were working just for that reason. "Don't worry, Uncle, Bill has it under control." At his relieved look she couldn't help but add a softly: "at least he did when I left."

At his stern look, Hermione couldn't help but laugh softly and wave his worries away. "It's going to be alright. But now tell me, did Harry manage to do it? And is he going to be alright?"

Severus gently took the precious box out of his pocked and opened it so that Hermione could see the two stones lying there. The empty power stone wasn't much to look at in comparison to the glowing gem. The Gryffindor girl smiled slightly. "The light feels warm."

Snape nodded. "Harry really did a good job in filling the stone. The power it generates right now is large, I can barely imagine how it will feel once the potion is activated."

Hermione nodded and watched as Severus put the box were it was. "What about Harry?"

The older man smiled slightly at her concern. "He'll be fine. It's the first time he has released so much magical power at once, it's to be expected that he is exhausted. I think he'll be back on his feet in a few days."

They stayed silent for quite some while, quietly sipping on their tea. The peaceful silence was broken by Hermione.

"Uncle?"

The older man looked from the cup of tea he had been watching and turned his gaze towards the girl. "What is it?"

The Gryffindor sighed. "We've never actually discussed how we'll get the portkey to Voldemort."

A small smirk grew on the man's face. "Leave that to me. It won't be much of a problem."

The girl looked a bit worried, but decided to withhold her doubts. The Professor seemed to be very sure and he mostly knew what he was able to do. If he said he could get the portkey to Voldemort, Hermione trusted that he would be able to do it.

To be continued...

A/N: Thanks for all reviews.


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery.

Harry had slept peacefully during the whole evening and night. Remus had been especially concerned about him when he was told the boy wasn't feeling well, but Severus had managed to reassure him that Harry would be fine if given a good rest. The Potions Master had had to use the extra lessons as a reason for the boy's exhaustion and he was quite surprised it had worked. He suspected that Kingsley didn't quite believe him, but so far, the auror hadn't said anything about it.

The next morning, Harry woke up in time for breakfast. Even though he felt like he could go right back to sleep, he knew he should go down and have breakfast with everyone else so to not arise too much suspicion. After he took a shower and got dressed, he was feeling a bit more awake. He met Neville outside. The boy was nearly bouncing with energy, his face glowing with a brilliant smile.

Harry smiled at the other boy. "Ready for your big day?"

Neville rubbed his hands excitedly. "I can hardly wait. I've been wishing to go there for years now and to finally be able to... it's a dream come true." Suddenly the boy looked a bit self-conscious towards his companion. "I'm sorry."

Harry blinked tiredly towards Neville. "Huh? What are you sorry about?"

The other boy looked at the dark-haired wizard with a small frown. "Today is a very important day; the others are going back to the Forest, you can barely stand on your feet, and here I am, only thinking about visiting some place."

Harry shook his head slightly. "A 'place', as you called it, that you've wished to see since you were a child." He stalled the other boy's response by slightly raising his hand. "Nev, today we'll all have a task to do, and yours is to keep Bill away from here. What does it matter if you get something in return?"

The other Gryffindor rolled his eyes. "You always have to make sense, don't you?"

Harry smirked up to his companion. "Of course, where would be the fun if I didn't?"

Neville was about to retort when Harry swayed dangerously to a side. Quickly taking him under an arm, Neville steadied the other boy against the wall. "You should be in bed."

Harry shook his head, trying to clear the dark spots dancing in front of his eyes. "I'm fine."

Neville snorted and forced the unresisting boy to sit down on the floor in the hall. "You're anything but fine, you should be in bed and resting, not wandering around."

Harry leaned his head against the wall with a sigh. "I need to go have breakfast with everyone. I bet Remus and Kingsley were suspicious yesterday, when I didn't show up for dinner."

Neville snorted. "If they weren't suspicious then, they will be the second they take a look at you. You look like you're about to fall dead."

The other Gryffindor chuckled weakly. "Good thing I'm sitting then, isn't it?"

A deep voice interrupted Neville's answer. "Your attempts at humour are getting worse."

Neville turned around slightly, giving Harry a glimpse of his guardian. Severus was looking sternly down at them, a displeased frown marring his face as he walked closer. With a rustle of clothes, he knelt next to Neville and put a hand on Harry's forehead.

"May I ask what on Earth possessed you to get out of bed?"

The dark-haired boy weakly tried to bat his uncle's hand away. "I'm fine, just a bit tired. I thought it would be better to come to breakfast before Remus and Kingsley start asking too many questions and all our plans are ruined."

The Potions Master shook his head. "And how are you going to convince them that you're ok and that they can leave without worries if you can not even walk?"

Harry pouted. "I can walk perfectly fine, I was just dizzy for a bit, but now I'm fine."

Severus raised an eyebrow and silently stood, motioning to Neville to follow. The silent boy watched expectantly from his guardian to Harry, wondering if Severus was really going to allow the other boy to show himself like this. The Potions Master silently extended a hand to Harry, offering to help him up. The Gryffindor stubbornly refused to take the hand and pushed himself up against the wall until he was standing.

Shaking his head, Severus turned around and put a hand on Neville's shoulder to force him to walk at his side. They had barely taken a few steps when the former spy heard a soft gasp. He was just in time to turn around and catch Harry in his arms as the boy's legs gave out under him.

Harry couldn't help but breathe quietly as his guardian scooped him up in his arms like a baby.

"Stubborn child, why do you never listen to what others say?"

Assuming it was a rhetoric question, Harry didn't bother with trying to come up with an answer. Instead, he leaned his head against the man's shoulder and closed his eyes. It seemed that the decision about what he would be doing this morning had been taken from his hands. He quietly admitted to himself that the other two men were right. He was not up to being around anyone.

Neville silently opened to door to the other boy's room and turned the covers of the bed down so that Severus was able to put his charge down. The older man tucked the teenager in and turned to Neville.

"Go ahead to breakfast, Bill will want to leave soon."

The other boy stayed still, frowning down at his dozing friend. "Is he going to be alright?"

Severus sat down and gently passed a hand over the child's head. "He'll be ok, he's just exhausted and will need to take it easy for a while." He snorted softly, adding quietly: "And that's going to be the most difficult thing for him, and for the rest of us."

The standing teenager chuckled softly in agreement and turned to leave. When he had reached the door, he turned his gaze to the other two.

"Uncle Sev?"

The older man turned to the teenager and frowned slightly at the troubled look on Neville's face.

"What's wrong, Child?"

The Gryffindor fidgeted a bit, not sure how to voice his troubles. While he got along fine with Severus, he wasn't as close to him as Harry or Hermione. Hearing the forbidding man calling him "child" in that affectionate tone made him realize once more how much they had changed in the Forest. Seeing that the older man was still patiently waiting for him to speak, Neville shook his head and turned his thought to what he had wanted to ask.

"Are you sure it's ok for me to go to Greenstate today? Shouldn't I help around here?"

Severus shook his head and walked over to him. Gently taking the boy's shoulders in his hands, he bent down slightly so he could look him in his eyes. "You have just as much a right to have a special day as the others."

Neville shook his head. "They are going to meet their parents and their family."

The older man squeezed his shoulders tightly. "Just because your family is unfortunately not here anymore, doesn't mean you should be excluded." When the boy made to protest, Severus pressed on. "It's not only that, we also need to keep Bill distracted. And from what the Headmaster told me, Professor Sprout really needs those plants. The fact that you will enjoy your day is just a bonus."

Sighing, Neville nodded in agreement and allowed himself to be led outside. Once the door closed after him, the teenager shook his head and made his way downstairs. Everyone was already having breakfast and he allowed his earlier good mood to come up again. After all it wouldn't do for the others to see him in a gloomy mood on his special day.

It had taken nearly an hour to get the three adults out of the house. The most difficult had been Lupin, who hadn't relented until he was allowed to look into a sleeping Harry. Finally, after the last of them flooed out, Severus couldn't help but sigh out in exasperation. The children, who had been looking at the proceedings from the table, chuckled softly at his irritation.

Severus glared down at them in mild annoyance before taking the box that contained the filled power stone out and handing it over to Parvati.

"We need to get a move on. Do you have everything you'll need?"

The four children nodded. Lavender, who would be staying behind to help Severus with the portkeys, looked worried at her friends. "Do you have the maps?"

Parvati smiled slightly at the nervous girl. "We have everything. Really, Lav. There's no need to worry."

Severus growled softly. "There's plenty need to worry. But sadly, we don't have a choice. You'll take Shirleena with you."

Ron nodded in agreement; they had talked about everything before, but he didn't think that pointing that out would go over well to the worried man. The five teenagers listened to the man continue with his talk, but finally Seamus had enough and stepped in.

"Uncle Sev, everything is going to go alright. But we really need to get a move on."

Severus pressed his lips tightly together but nodded in agreement. Silently, he summoned a house-elf to his side. Peppy appeared with a soft pop.

"Peppy, we'll be away for most of the day. Harry is not feeling well, and I would like you to keep an eye on him. If someone were to attack you, your priority is to get him safely to Hogwarts, understood?"

The house-elf's round eyes looked seriously up at him. "Yes, Master Severus. Master doesn't need to worry. Young Master Harry will remain safe."

With a nod to the house-elf, the six of them walked out of the house. Lavender whistled sharply, and Kiara and Shirleena appeared from the garden bushes and ran up to them. Once the entire party was ready, Severus took out the portkey he had made the day before. It would take them to the same spot in which they had left the Forest barely a few weeks ago.

With a soft pop, they appeared at the familiar place. Hermione couldn't fight down a shudder as she looked the brilliant white portal that rose in front of her. She never would have thought the day would come in which she would willingly enter this place. And yet, she had silently longed to see its beauty again. The Forest was a very dangerous place, and yet it held many dear memories to her. Her attention snapped back to the others as she sensed Ron pick up his bag at her side. She also checked on her own bag. Her job would be to draw the runes on the floor in case the power stone didn't work. While she, Seamus and Ron were checking on their equipment, Severus stood at a side seriously talking to Parvati.

"You will need to bathe the stone with this potion. The moment you do that, the power from the stone will be greatly amplified, so be sure none of you are touching it. I'll be here waiting to sense the power. You'll wait for half an hour. If I manage to create the portkey, I'll use it to get to you to make sure it works. If I don't appear within that period of time, let Hermione draw the runes and return here." Severus spoke again in a softer voice. "Don't get too deep into the Forest, and for Merlin's sake, don't get lost."

Parvati stepped up to him and hugged him tightly, drawing a startled grunt from the man. "I promise we'll be very careful, Uncle Sev. But you have to promise to be careful too. Don't use the portkey unless you're completely sure it works. We don't want to lose you."

The older man nodded in agreement and stepped back, Lavender and Kiara at his side. With a last glance to them, the four teenagers and the other Girion turned around and with a deep breath, they crossed the barrier, back into the Forest.

To be continued…

A/N: Thanks for all reviews and special thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie.


	41. Chapter 41

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery

For the first time in her life, Hermione was quite grateful about the portals spread out through the Forest of Mystery. They meant that they only needed to walk for a few minutes before finding themselves deep within the woods. As soon as they had entered the place, they had made sure that the portals' layout hadn't changed during their absence. They were relieved to see that everything was in place, so they started to walk through the carefully defined path. They had spent a few hours last night making sure they all knew the way out by memory just in case something happened to the maps. Each of them also had a carefully made copy of the original maps, just in case that they lost sight of each other. Shirleena was bounding excitedly around, rushing through the trees like a small cub. But not even her antics could draw a smile from the tense teenagers as they hurried to the place where they would put the power stone.

As they reached the place, Ron looked around and was pleased to see that the place was completely barren. They had chosen this particular part of the Forest because it only held one portal and it was completely empty. The only thing that grew in this part of the Forest was large trees, so high that you could barely discern their lowest branches. No animals lived in this part of the Forest and there was no water to be found around. The portal was encased in a tree so the probability of stumbling through it if you weren't able to see it was very small. The place was perfect. If Voldemort didn't die the moment he arrived here, it would not take long to get him killed. After all, surviving here would be nearly impossible without magic, and Ron knew that the smallest use of magic would deplete the Dark Lord of his magical reserves and kill him in an instant.

The red-head was startled out of his thoughts when he saw Parvati and Seamus bend over the ground. He approached them and saw a glowing ball of magic lying on the ground. His soft whistle drew Hermione's attention to them.

"It's beautiful."

Parvati nodded. "It's also very powerful; I have no trouble sensing it."

Hermione hummed in agreement and stepped back into the portal. When she returned, she was faced with surprised stares. "I only wanted to check if I could still sense it from there."

Seamus raised an eyebrow. "And?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "It's a bit weaker, but there are no other magical sources around here so it's easy to pinpoint. I don't know if Uncle Sev would be able to pick it out from outside the Forest. I doubt it's strong enough."

Parvati rose to her feet and carefully took the potion Severus had given her from her backpack. "That's what this is for. You should stand a bit away. Uncle Sev said it would get intense."

The other three teenagers stepped back a bit and watched as Parvati poured the potion over the stone. The moment the first drop came in contact with the glowing stone, the four teenagers felt the sense of magic increase around them. Parvati quickly stepped back with a gasp as the light enveloping the small stone grew with each passing moment.

"Great Merlin."

Seamus turned his face slightly to his red-headed friend. "The power is amazing, isn't it?"

Ron nodded in agreement, unable to tear his gaze away from the stone. Much more practical than her friend, Hermione looked down at her watch and started the count down. Now they had to wait for half an hour. She hoped everything would go well.

Outside the Forest, Severus had his gaze locked intently towards the Forest's entrance. All his senses were focused on the large mass of trees in front of them. He barely even noticed the girl sitting quietly at his side, petting the girion. As the minutes slipped by, he became even more focused on the Forest, scanning once and again for the familiar power. He was so intent on the Forest that he nearly failed to register the small surge of power that finally came from the mass of trees. At first he thought he had imagined it, but the surge grew a bit more and finally became stable. A small sense of triumph started to run through him. He knew that no one would notice the faint power coming from the Forest. While he was aware that the power from the stone had to be immense, the Forest's powers dampened the magic.

Lavender looked up startled as the silent man standing next to her quickly drew his wand. She turned to the Forest, trying to sense the power the other man must have felt, but was unable to pinpoint it. She knew her Uncle's senses were much more fine-tuned then hers, but she still had hoped she would be able to sense the power. Turning her attention to the Potions Master, she saw that he seemed to have finished casting the portkey spell and was about to touch it.

"Uncle."

Stopped by the sudden voice, Severus turned his startled eyes to the girl sitting on the ground next to him.

"Yes?"

"Be careful, please."

His eyes softened a bit as he looked down at her. "Don't worry, child, everything seems to be going alright. I'll be back in half an hour with the others. If someone comes, there's a portkey to the Manor in my bag. If you need to, take it and leave, understood?"

Lavender nodded in agreement and watched with a bit of trepidation as the Potions Master touched the portkey and disappeared with a soft noise.

The four teenagers had been wandering around, not very far away from the power stone, gathering a few seeds and plants Neville had asked for. Suddenly, Shirleena, who had been lying lazily under a tree, perked his head up and fixed its intent stare on a spot near the power stone. As soon as the teenagers noticed the movement, they turned their gaze to the same place, just in time to see a dark shape appear with a soft pop. Seamus and Ron high-fived as Severus shook his head slightly and smiled a bit.

"Well, it seems it worked."

Hermione and Parvati smiled serenely. Everything was going alright, luck seemed to be on their side, and if everything continued like this, Voldemort wouldn't be more than a nightmare in a few days.

The brown-haired girl shook her head.

"It seems that way, yes. Now we only need to get the portkey to Voldemort."

The four teenagers had to suppress a shudder at the small, dark smile that covered their Uncle's lips.

"Don't worry about that, I will take care of it."

Seamus and Parvati glanced at each other but choose to remain silent. They trusted the man to do what was best, but couldn't help but wonder just what was going through the man's mind. Severus' face relaxed to a more serene smile and motioned to the teenagers. "Are you done here? I don't wish to remain in this Forest any longer than necessary."

Quickly, the four teenagers packed their bags, and after making sure nothing would disturb the power stone from its place, they made their way back to the outside.

Lavender had been pacing nervously in front of the silver portal. She was almost counting the minutes down, worrying that her friends would get lost. The moment Kiara raised her head, she turned to look at the portal and was relieved to see her friends and her uncle step through the portal. She quickly went over to them and hugged each of them in turn, ending with her uncle, who she hugged longer than the others. Severus, understanding her anxiousness, patted her back lightly.

"It's quite alright, Lavender, everything went fine. The portkey works fine."

Sighing, the girl nodded and finally released the older man. Before they returned to the manor, Severus made another portkey, just in case they would need a reserve one. Once they had gathered everything up, they returned to the Manor.

Harry was wandering aimlessly around the house, Ion pacing calmly at his side. He wished he could have gone with the others to the Forest; he hated the idea that his friends might be in danger, but he had to admit that he wasn't up to it. He had been sleeping nearly until noon. When he woke up, Peppy was at his side at once and held a steaming plate of food under his nose, telling him in no uncertain terms that he was to eat. It seemed that Severus had left behind firm orders to the elves to take proper care of him and in the minds of the little creatures eating was right at the top.

So, not having been given an option to protest, he dug in while his mind tried to imagine what his friends were doing at the moment. Once he was done, he got up, quietly escaping the watch the house elves had on him. That had been nearly twenty minutes ago and now he was walking around, trying to avoid the little beings to find him and force him back to bed once again. He was starting to grow weary once again and was considering going back to his room to rest when an exasperated voice interrupted his musings.

"Are you never going to do as you're told?"

Startled, Harry turned around sharply, relieved to see the tall form of his uncle standing not far from him. The boy tried to quell his smile as he bowed his head under the man's stern gaze.

"What, pray tell, are you doing out of bed, wandering around, when I left strict instructions for you to rest today?"

Harry lightly raised his hands to try and placate the annoyed man. "I was tired of lying around sleeping. I just wanted to walk around a bit."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "And couldn't you have told one of the elves that? At least you would have had someone to watch over you in case something happened."

Harry flushed a bit. "I had assumed you would have ordered them to keep me in bed."

The Potions Master grumbled under his head and motioned the boy to walk with him. "If I order someone, be it you or the elves to do something, there is always a plausible reason behind it. I don't usually order things for the fun of it."

The boy nodded in acceptance. "I know, Uncle Severus."

The man's dark gaze settled on him. "So, why do you insist on disobeying me?"

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but closed it once again, trying to figure out how to answer such a question. The man didn't insist on an answer as they walked towards the boy's room. Once they entered, Harry immediately scrambled into bed and turned his attention to the man.

"Did everything go ok?"

Severus was very aware that the boy hadn't answered his former question, but he let it go, knowing that he had given Harry something to think about.

"Everything went alright. We have the portkey."

Harry leaned back against his pillows and sighed. "Now we only need to get it to Voldemort."

Severus repeated what he had told the other teenagers before. "I'll take care of that."

Harry blinked at him with a frown. "How? You are not going to walk up to Voldemort and give it to him, right?"

The Potions Master rolled his eyes. "Don't be silly, Harry, that would be something you might try; I think I'm quite a bit more subtle than that."

Rolling his eyes, the boy slid back in bed until he was lying flat on his back. "More Slytherin you mean."

Severus walked to the bed and put the blankets over the boy. "That's the same thing."

Harry smiled faintly, eyes already dropping. "You're not going to tell us, are you?"

The Potions Master brushed his hair back. "You don't need to know, there are many things I prefer to keep to myself as you well know." Before the boy could reply, the older wizard continued. "Take a nap now, Harry, if you remain in bed, I'll allow you to join us for dinner."

Harry chuckled. "Ok, I'll be a good boy. I'll see you later, Uncle Sev."

With a final glance to the dozing boy, Severus left the room, his sharp mind already planning the details on how to get the portkey to Voldemort.

A/N: Sorry for taking so long between updates, hope you liked the chapter. Thanks for all reviews and thanks to Vinnie for beta-reading this.


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery.

Severus waited patiently as the woman in front of him continued to brew a complicated potion. He had arrived at her house nearly half an hour ago, and she had yet to acknowledge him. If it had been anyone else, he would have blown up at them long ago for ignoring him. But he knew, from experience, that if he tried to get her attention before she was willing to give it to him, he would find himself out of the house in a second. Stifling a sigh, he leaned back against the wall and watched her graceful movements as she added just another ingredient into the complicated brew. She hadn't changed very much since he had studied under her. Her hair was still the same blond colour, and it was still braided in a long ponytail. She was still as pale and thin as she had been fifteen years ago and her eyes seemed to be as sharp as they had been. Even though she had only glanced up once during the whole time.

Severus was startled out of his musings by her soft voice.

"You look quite well for a dead man, Apprentice."

The Potions Master sighed softly; he would always remain an apprentice to her, no matter that he had taken his masters more than a decade ago.

"The Dark Lord should be more careful on what he does with his spies, Aramis."

She barely twitched at his admittance of the betrayal of Voldemort. Aramis had been forced into the Dark Lord's service by her husband when she was young. Once he had died, she had reached a silent understanding with the Slytherin heir. She would brew potions and take on a few apprentices as long as he left her alone. Severus knew quite well that she hated him as much or more than he himself did, but she was too smart to go against him without any assurances. As long as she helped him, she would be safe.

Aramis snorted softly under her breath. "It has always worked before, the Forest is quite the punishment. I'm very surprised to see you alive."

By the flat tone of her voice, Severus couldn't have guessed that she was curious about how he had managed to survive. But a sharp glance from her deep, grey, eyes were enough to assure him that he had picked her curiosity.

"Aramis, you don't really think I came all this way to see you just to tell you that I survived the Forest, did you?"

The woman smiled slightly, still bend over her potion. "Straight to the point, as always. Very well, Apprentice, what is it you want from me?"

Severus straightened a bit. "Can you give something to the Dark Lord for me?"

The only sign that he had startled her was the small pause in her stirring. "What exactly do you want me to give him?"

Severus took out the vial he had transformed into a portkey. "I know you're the one that brews the potions he takes, do you think you could put one of them in here and give it to him?"

Aramis gave a final stir to her potion, and with a quick wave of her wand, she froze the contents. For this she needed all her attention.

"Come, Apprentice, let's move to a more comfortable place."

Severus placed the vial back in his pocked and followed her through the familiar rooms until they reached the small living room. With a flick of her wand, she summoned a tea set, and they both settled down.

"So, tell me, what is this vial?"

Severus sipped his tea silently. He knew he would have to come clean with her, she would not agree to this if she was not sure of what he wanted to do. "It's a portkey. A portkey into the Forest of Mystery. I've keyed it to his magical signature, it should only go off when it comes in contact with him."

Aramis' sharp mind quickly contemplated the possibilities. "It's said to be impossible to create a portkey to the Forest."

Severus raised an eyebrow at her. "It's also supposed to be impossible to survive. I found a way to do both things."

While the Slytherin Potions Master knew very well that he couldn't have done anything without the help of the children, he wasn't willing to get them involved with Aramis.

The woman nodded. "You were always very intelligent, I guess that had to come in use sooner or later. So, you want to send Voldemort into the Forest even though you yourself have admitted it's possible to survive."

Severus smirked slightly. "My situation and the Dark Lord's are a bit different. I am not kept together by magic."

A small light of understanding lightened the woman's eyes. "Ah, I understand." She sipped on her tea for a bit. "That could work, indeed." She glanced at him. "How are you going to make sure I get out of the place? I doubt the other Death Eaters are going to calmly stand by while their Master disappears."

Severus took out a necklace from his cloak. "I believe it was one of your wishes to move away from here and start a new life in Italy. This will take you to a villa I have there, I don't use it, so I'll have it signed over to you as soon as everything is done."

Aramis smirked slightly. "You know me well. What else is in it for me? I'll be risking my live after all."

Severus didn't even bat an eyelash. He knew her very well, indeed, and he would have been disappointed if she had accepted to do such a dangerous mission without a greater reward. He carefully took a box out of his cloak and opened it. There was a small vial resting against a soft material. This time, the vial was filled with a green substance.

Aramis raised an eyebrow and accepted the box. She didn't recognize the potion; she carefully took it out of the box and uncorked it so she could gently sniff the contents. The faint sent was unknown to her, but she could recognize several ingredients that had been used. However, as she went through the mental book in her mind, there was no potion she could think of that mixed those particular reagents.

"Alright, I'm stumped, what does this do? And why do you think I would want it?"

Severus smirked slightly and extended his arm towards her. She barely blinked as he rolled up the sleeve to show her the Dark Mark. Or rather, the lack of it. Aramis was barely able to suppress an amazed gasp. She had been trying to remove her damned mark for years without success. She looked up at the stern, black eyes, looking for any sign of deceit. When she finally looked away, she nodded.

"Alright, I'll do it."

Severus sighed and relaxed for the first time since he had arrived. Everything would go well now.

Amaris stared pensively at the innocent vial standing on her table. Severus had left a few minutes ago and she had still to move from her place. To think that that little vial held the key to her freedom was mind-boggling. She knew that Severus' plan was foolproof; nearly nothing could go wrong with it. She only had to hand over her usual pack of potions to the Dark Lord and leave without him noticing anything. Just as she did every week. Shaking her head, the woman got up and cautiously took the vial. She set it down between the others and started to fill them with the rejuvenating potion that the Dark Lord had been taking since he regained his body.

Once the vials were filled, she packed them in a small package and carefully stored it in her cupboard, she would deliver them in the morning, just like she did every week. With a last glance towards the closed cupboard, she left the lab. There were things she wanted to pack before making her escape.

Harry sighed and put the book he had been reading away. He was bored out of his mind, but his uncle had told him he was to stay in bed today, and after yesterday's lecture, he thought it better to obey. If he only could think of some way to amuse himself…

As if reading his sombre thoughts, the door to his room opened, and Hermione and Dean entered the room. Harry face relaxed into a smile at the sight of his friends, and he motioned for them to join him on the bed.

Hermione sat down gracefully on the bed and glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "I have to say I'm surprised to still see you here, Harry."

Dean nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we were fully expecting to have to hunt you down."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Uncle Sev had a few chosen words for me yesterday. I thought it better not to try his patience for now. He is right about this, not that I'll ever admit it to him."

The two other teenagers laughed at his resigned words. Dean shook his head. "Then, if Uncle Sev is the only thing keeping you in bed, I better not tell you that he is not here."

Harry narrowed his eyes at that. "So, that's why I haven't had him in here to check on me all day so far. I was starting to wonder. Where has he gone off?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders slightly. "No one knows, he left a message with Peppy, saying he had things to do today and that he would be back for dinner, but other than that, nothing."

The dark-haired boy pressed his lips together. "So, he has gone."

Dean blinked at the two of them, not quite catching what they meant. "Gone? Gone where?"

Hermione took one of Harry's pillows and whacked Dean on the head with it. "Honestly, pay a bit of attention to the things happening around you. Uncle Sev said he would get the portkey to Voldemort, and he has left this morning before anyone could question him, where do you think he went?" 

The boy's eyes lightened in understanding. "Oh, I get it." Then, after a few more seconds of thought, he frowned. "Won't that be dangerous? I mean, no one knows where he is. The only thing we know is that he's arranging for a way to get the portkey to Voldemort. I don't know if I like him being alone like that."

Harry was about to agree with the other boy when Hermione interrupted him with a firm voice. "Uncle Severus knows what he's doing. I doubt he would put himself in danger; he seemed to know what he would do so there's no need to worry."

Harry sighed and leaned back against the pillows. "It's not like we can do anything right now. Have Kingsley or Remus said anything about it?"

Dean shook his head. "No, not really, they only insisted we should keep practicing with our magic. That's where the others are, we managed to finish the exercises earlier and decided to come find you."

The dark haired boy nodded in understanding and steered the conversation towards their practice, wanting to know what they had been doing.

Severus didn't make it back to the manor until just before dinner. After the talk with Aramis, he had taken a portkey to Italy to make sure everything would be arranged to receive the new potions mistress.

When he finally portkeyed back into the manor, he was met with one of his house-elves, who quickly took his cloak.

"Where is everyone, Nancy?"

"Everyone is waiting for you in the living room to have dinner, Master, except for Master Harry. He is in his room, as master ordered."

Severus raised an eyebrow and thanked his house-elf before making his way to Harry's room. He knocked lightly on the door. When he didn't receive an answer, he quietly opened the door and smiled slightly when he saw Harry, leaning in a strange position against his pillows, his eyes closed and a peaceful expression on his face. He made his way to the bed and gently shook the boy awake.

"Wake up, child, it's time to have dinner."

Harry's eyes fluttered open and he yawned as he settled his gaze on the tall man.

"Uncle Sev! You're back!"

Severus was forced to bend down a bit lower as Harry wound his arms around his neck in a relieved hug. The older man frowned.

"I told the house-elves that I would be back by dinner time."

Harry shrugged and loosened his grip a bit so he was able to look the man in the eye. "You went to arrange for the portkey to be delivered. How could we not have been worried?"

Severus rolled his eyes and straightened up, forcing the boy to let go of him. "It was hardly dangerous, Harry."

The boy looked at him with a bit of annoyance. "And how were we supposed to know that? You refused to tell us what you had planned."

The Potions Master rubbed his face tiredly. "I didn't mean to worry you. I just got in contact with someone who was willing to slip Voldemort the portkey."

Harry looked worried. "And now what?"

"Now we wait. She should deliver it tomorrow. We'll see what happens then." Not giving the teenager a chance to answer, Severus drew the blankets down. "Come on, Harry, everyone is waiting for us, we need to have some dinner."

To be continued...

A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to Vinnie for her wonderful beta-reading. 


	43. The End

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery.

Amaris apparated to the Dark Lord's latest hiding place. She had the potions firmly packed in a padded box, making sure that nothing would harm them. She had taken a calming potion before leaving, she needed to appear as calm and collected as always and she feared that the excitement she felt would sip through her occluded mind.

The Death Eaters guarding the large throne room opened the doors for her as she stepped closer, allowing her to step in without pausing in her stride. Voldemort was sitting in his usual place, Pettigrew snivelling at his feet, and a few other Death Eaters waiting around him for instructions. Amaris was secretly relieved to notice none of the Death Eaters belonged to the inner circle. She would have to make her escape quickly and she had a much better chance of doing so if there was no one really powerful around.

Voldemort paused in his speech as he saw her approach. "Ah, Amaris, punctual as always."

The woman knelt in front of him and offered the box with the vials. "Here are your potions as you ordered, My Lord."

Just like any other time, Pettigrew slid over to her and took the box. Then, he approached the Dark Lord and handed the potions one by one after having taken a sip out of them himself. Amaris always had to suppress a small smile at the ritual. Voldemort was nothing if not paranoid. The witch watched impassively as potion after potion went down the snake-like throat. When the third potion made it into the Dark Lord's hand, her hand closed around the necklace, ready to think the words that would activate the portkey should the vial do its function.

As if in slow motion, Aramis watched as Voldemort's snakelike hand came forth and took the vial from the other man's hand. The moment the Dark Lord came in contact with the hidden portkey, a soft pop rang through the room, taking not only him but also Pettigrew, who hadn't released the vial yet, to the Forest of Mystery.

A sharp gasp ran through the room, but Aramis didn't wait to see what would happen next. With a muttered word, she also disappeared, leaving the Death Eaters in disarray, wondering what exactly had happened.

Voldemort looked around, an enraged frown on his snake-like face. He didn't know what that woman was playing at, but he was going to make her regret it. At first, when he had touched the portkey, he had expected to find himself surrounded with aurors, Dumbledore standing at the front of them. So, he was surprised to find himself outside, in some kind of Forest, with Pettigrew snivelling at his side. With a disgusted glance at his unwilling companion, he took his wand out of his pocket and tried to apparate back to his throne room. The only thoughts that ran through his mind were the torture he would put Aramis through for trying to betray him. He didn't sense that anything was wrong until he failed to apparate away. He felt his magic leave his body, but he didn't move from where he was and instead, he started to feel weak. There was something wrong.

Peter watched in horror as his master fell on the ground with a weak groan. Under his terrified eyes, the Dark Lord's body started to disintegrate, and the snake-like man didn't seem to have the energy to utter a single scream of rage. With a last sigh, Lord Voldemort slipped into a peaceful death, killed by his own magic. His soul, which had already survived once before, didn't have the power to sustain even a half existence, so it was forced to slip away, leaving no other sign of the Dark Lord other than an used robe and one of his servants.

Peter, scared at his master's demise, turned into his animagus form, finding out just a bit later that he no longer possessed the magic to turn back. He would remain a rat for the rest of his short live.

Aramis sighed as she appeared safely at Severus' villa. The sun coming through the large windows blinded her momentarily, bringing a small smile on her shallow face. A sense of freedom filled her as she looked around the beautiful place. Severus sure had good taste. Moving towards the table, she saw a stack of papers lying on the table, the promised potion resting next to it. With a small smile, she swallowed the potion, watching in wonder as the Dark Mark left her arm, just as the man had promised her. She was finally free, after so many years she could finally live her life as she wished to. With a small laugh, she looked through the papers, seeing that Severus had signed the house over to her as well as the service of two house-elves. With a small spring to her step, she left the room, intending to look through the whole place before starting to set up everything she had brought with her. It was time to live again.

The children had been trying to get through the day as usual, ignoring the questioning looks Kingsley, Bill, and Remus shot them from time to time. None of them knew exactly the time in which Voldemort would be handed the portkey. Severus watched in amusement as the children darted through the house, trying to find something to occupy their time. Finally, growing tired of their incessant walking around he called a house-elf.

"Nancy, please, tell the children to get down here, now."

Kingsley, who had been reading at his side, raised an eyebrow at him. "What's going on with the kids? They're acting as if a mount of presents is waiting for them and they have to wait to open them."

Severus snorted, thinking that Voldemort's death would certainly be a fine present to anyone. "Who knows what got into them today, but it's about time someone put a stop to it."

The children started to come in, curious looks on their face. Severus motioned for them to sit down, and they did, sitting as usual on the floor in front of him. When finally Neville entered, and they were all there, Severus took out a book on charms. "I think it's about time we started to work a bit on magical theory."

All the children groaned and the older man sent them a stern look. "If you're so bored that you can't settle down on doing something, you can study for a while."

While some of them pouted, they admitted to themselves that having something to do would be better than to wander around waiting for the big moment. Twenty minutes later, they were engrossed in an intent discussion about cleaning charms and their uses and misuses. None of them noticed when Dumbledore, Minerva, and Remus joined them, watching in amazement as Severus lectured his charges with patience, answering all their questions and allowing for a debate to grow around them.

The older witch shook her head in wonder. "If he had taught that way, the students would have been much more happy with their potions lessons."

Remus smirked a bit. "I doubt it would have worked very well."

Dubledore was about to add his own opinion to the soft voices when Severus' deep voice stopped abruptly. They all turned to the Potions Master as his gaze glared intently to a window.

Ron, who had been sitting closest to the older man, put a hand on his knee.

"Uncle Sev?"

The potions Master turned to them. "It has started. The portkey has been activated."

The children looked at each other in excitement, wondering what would happen next. The tension in the room was growing, and Dumbledore was about to ask what was going on when suddenly, Harry bent over with his hands to his head, a groan of pain coming from the boy. Severus and Hermione, having half expected it, were at his side at once. The other children stood up and stepped back a bit, giving the two space to work and also preventing the other adults of crowding the trio.

Severus quietly bent over Harry, noticing that there was blood seeping from his curse scar.

"What's going on, Harry?"

The boy's pain filled eyes looked dully up at him. "He is enraged, he feels that someone has betrayed him." He was interrupted with another sharp pain and then a sense of peacefulness started to fill him, leaving him numb and tired. "He tried to apparate away and couldn't, his magic is leaving him. He's dying, Uncle Sev."

The weak voice from the boy brought home a terrifying realisation. Voldemort was sucking Harry's power to remain alive. With more strength than necessary, Severus turned Harry's head to him, startling Hermione.

"Harry, look at me!"

The boy's eyes blinked open slowly and locked with the dark eyes of the older man. In an instant, Severus was inside the boy's mind, trying desperately to find the link that united him to the Dark Lord. He was delving deeper into the boy's mind when he suddenly found that he wasn't alone anymore. Harry was standing right next to him, looking up at him seriously.

"He's trying to take me down with him, isn't he, Uncle Sev?"

The older man snorted softly. "I doubt it's intentional. His body is trying to support his failing magic." The man cursed as he continued to look for the link. "I should have thought something like this might happen."

Harry watched as his guardian continued his frantic search, a curiously flat expression on his face. "You shouldn't bother."

Severus froze and slowly turned to look at him, a deadly expression on his face. "What did you just say?"

Harry regarded him calmly. "The second Voldemort dies, my destiny will be fulfilled, and there won't be a need for me to live further." Severus stared with raising fury as the boy continued. "It would be better for everyone if I died with the Dark Lord, that has always been my destiny anyway."

With two quick steps, Severus was at Harry's side, he turned the emotionless boy around and spanked his behind three times, drawing a surprised grunt from the teenager. Severus turned him around once more and looked him intently in the eye.

"Now you're going to listen to me very closely. If you ever say such nonsense again, I will have you over my knee in a second, and you will get the spanking of your life. You are not going to die. I am going to find that link and break it, then, we'll go back to the others and we're going to have a very serious talk about what you said there. Got it?"

Harry nodded, a stunned expression on his face. He felt himself grow stronger as Severus continued his search, unconsciously supporting his failing magic. It seemed the man wasn't about to give him up. With a small sigh, Harry started to help with the search. Knowing his mind much better than the other man, he was quickly able to locate the link. He quietly forced it to the surface of his mind so that Severus could see it clearly. The older man shot him a sharp glance but without a word he started to work on dissolving the link.

The Potions Master had thought it would be much more difficult to sever the link, but Voldemort's failing magic no longer had the strength to keep up its end of the link so it was with a few tugs of his own magic that he managed to break it. With a sigh, Severus left the boy's mind.

The Slytherin blinked as he returned to his own body. He noticed that everyone was starring at him intently, but he only had eyes for the boy lying in his arms. With a groan, Harry opened his eyes and brought a shaking hand to his forehead. "That hurt."

Severus snorted. "No surprise there, we broke that link rather abruptly."

Harry blinked up at him, as if surprised to see him there. Then he flushed deeply. "I can't believe you spanked me."

Severus glowered sternly down at him. "Believe me that I will do it again if I hear you say such nonsense again. And then it will be in real life, not in your mind, are we clear?"

Harry looked down, faintly embarrassed but also secretly pleased, here was someone who really cared about him and that would protect him, even from himself. "Yes, Uncle Severus."

A soft cough startled them out of their conversation. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Could someone tell us what is going on, please?"

At the end of the year, Dumbledore couldn't help but look around the Great Hall in pleasure. The year had started darkly, the threat of Voldemort deeply entrenched in everyone's minds and the fear of death spread heavily around the air. And now here they were. The Gryffindor house was once again complete and Voldemort was dead. Looking around, he was a bit sad when he didn't see Severus at his usual place. The dour man had refused to return to teach at the school. Instead he had spent his days building up a potions research business with a friend of his and fighting for the custody of Harry and Neville. The Slytherin had once again managed to get his wishes. His business was growing, gaining a very good reputation as the months went by. And this summer, Neville and Harry would go home to someone who cared about them. Dumbledore smiled slightly as he watched the Gryffindor sixth years joking quietly with each other. He suspected Severus would have to deal with a few teenagers more besides his own charges.

Oh, well, he would leave Severus to deal with them, he just needed to get ready for the next school year, and maybe start considering retirement; he was starting to feel old after all.


End file.
